Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Otter?

While fishing a couple days ago I saw a little brown furry critter come running out of the tall pasture grass next to my pond and go straight to the edge of the pond. As my dogs approached where I saw it last, I saw it dive into the pond and disappear. I watched for it to come up, but it never did - not that I could see. I puzzled over what it was, and decided it was a weasel. It didn't dawn on me until last night that it was most likely a YOY otter. Just what every pond needs!

chootum!

Could have been a mink.

We get minks, too. I don't mind as they eat the muskrats.

Could have also been a muskrat. You said it was a young one, maybe because the size was not so big? Full grown rat might be that big.

When I get muskrats I will see grass clippings around the water edge. They get out of the water to harvest their vegetables then return with them to their den.

Young otters are usually with the whole family. If the tail was like a rat tail - i.e. hairless, then it was a muskrat. If the tail was furred, and the animal was relatively long and slender, I'm betting on a Mink.

It wasn't a muskrat, but it could have been either a small mink or a weasel.

I know that minks swim but do weasels too?

Weasels will swim but not like a mink. My money is on mink.

Again mink will kill and take out muskrats but they love the taste of trout too.

This critter dove in and disappeared. I never saw it swim a lick on the surface.

Mink can swim for hours with out coming up.

http://bobarnebeck.com/mink.htm

When otter hunting was banned in England, the otterhound packs were used to hunt mink, until all hunting with hounds was banned. Mink were probably a pretty good substitute. Now otterhounds are almost extinct in England (there never were many anywhere in the world) but they probably have lots of otters and mink (and fewer fish).

I saw two muskrats on the edge of my pond yesterday. My water rat killing Airedale was busy hunting in the tall grass somewhere and never saw them. If they continue to hang around, she will probably get onto them sooner or later, not that she can do much about them.