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| The Otter | | January
12 , 2003. |  The
Bay of Banderas is surprising in a variety of ways. On the one hand, many writers
believe that it is the seventh largest bay in the world. Others ponder its origin,
proposing that it is the crater of a gigantic extinct volcano. Many more assure
us that the absence of sharks in its waters is due to the patrolling done by dolphins
to keep them away thus ensuring the survival of their young. Endless people affirm
that it is a privileged site for bird-watching, the courtship and birth of humpback
whales and the arrival of sea turtles who come lay their eggs on its beaches.
Moreover, some researchers have proven the existence of hydrothermal activity
on the bay's bottom, a fact they use to support their hypothesis of recent, important
seismic activity in the area.
The preceding shows us that
the bay is a gigantic living entity in full evolution, where untold events take
place that shape its appearance and that are yet to be fully known and understood.
Furthermore, many stories surround it dealing with the occurrence of mysterious
animals, so called not only because of their strange appearance, but also because
they are seen only rarely or because many years have passed since they were last
seen. Along the permanent and intermittent rivers that
feed the bay, there are still many tales woven by locals who describe the stylized
silhouettes of animals playing in the water and running among the clay and the
grasses as if having fun was their sole purpose in life. Such is their passion
for playing that they build slides made out of clay along the riverbanks so that
they may use them as water slides ending up with a dive into the water.  On
land their walk is slow, resembling that of a duck. They move by trotting along,
their body curved like hunchbacks. This strange animal's profile is reminiscent
of that of a small dog which is why it is often called a water dog, although it
is also known as a river otter, to differentiate it from its marine cousin who
lives along the west coast of the United States and which has been exterminated
for many decades from the waters of Baja California's northwestern coast.
The
river otter (Lutra longicaudis) is a mammal which is fully adapted to marine life.
It can measure anywhere between 889 and 1,300 centimeters from the tip of its
nose to the tip of its tail. Its body is robust and its legs are short. The feet
are wide and the fingers are joined by membranes to increase its swimming abilities.
The tail is long and gets thinner from the base to the tip. The head is small,
with a wide mouth and tiny ears. Its shiny coat is short and brown in color along
the back, becoming lighter along the sides of the body, turning cream-colored
on the chest and abdomen.  This
species is more active during the day than it is at night. It builds its den in
tunnels and in most cases, the entrances are underwater. This otter's diet consists
mainly of fish, shellfish and crustaceans, although it may consume some small
birds or mammal at times. Though otters generally live alone, they may be found
in pairs or groups of up to five individuals in areas from sea level to as high
as 3,000 meters altitude, always close to sources of fresh water. Their geographical
distribution extends from the northern Mexican states of Chihuahua and Veracruz
to Central America and as far south as northern Argentina and Uruguay.
Reproduction
takes place between the months of January and May. Mating generally occurs in
the water, though it may occur on land as well. The gestation period lasts between
288 and 376 days which is why there is only one litter per year. The size of the
litter varies between 2 and 4 offspring, born weighing about 130 grams each. They
open their eyes between 20 and 35 days after their birth. The young learn to swim
when they are around 48 days old and they are completely weaned by three months.
Factors limiting their population are various, among them we could mention predators,
parasites and disease, but none is as important as hunting and the modification
or destruction of their habitat, factors that have put the river otter on the
list of species in danger of extinction.  Some
residents of the community of Las Palmas, Jalisco, comment that for the last five
years, they have not seen any river otters in the area, perhaps because poaching
for its valuable skin has exterminated them or displaced them to other locations,
less accessible to humans. Nevertheless, the river otter has now reappeared on
the local scene as evidenced by the sighting of a pair of them at the mouth of
the Cuale river.
We must hope that the commotion this
sighting has caused will have a direct impact on the appreciation and conservation
of those adorable animals. cupul@pvmirror.com Archives
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