J Scott Shannon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
otterfamily) wrote2006-10-10 08:18 am
otterfamily) wrote2006-10-10 08:18 am
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Dead otter at Trinidad
A couple of days ago, I received a second-hand report that someone had just seen a dead otter on a beach in Trinidad. I was informed that the carcass was on the launcher's beach east of the pier, but when I went to investigate, I found nothing on either the launcher's beach or the small beach by the restaurant.
Two other reports of a dead otter were received in email soon after, though, and those directed me to the actual site of the carcass: Trinidad State Beach. This is a popular recreational seashore located some distance north of the pier, and it was there that I found the carcass earlier this morning.
I knew the minute I saw the otter that it was not young Slick; it was definitely a more mature male. That pretty much means the dead otter has to be Mystery Male, and closer inspection of the carcass confirmed my initial speculation. The otter's much-eroded dentition essentially matched what I'd seen on MM in life. The clincher was a long, deep area of sloughed skin on the otter's left hind foot. On October 1, I had noted the presence of an identical wound on Mystery Male's left hind foot, so seeing this in combination with the characteristically-worn teeth has made me confident of my identification...
Two other reports of a dead otter were received in email soon after, though, and those directed me to the actual site of the carcass: Trinidad State Beach. This is a popular recreational seashore located some distance north of the pier, and it was there that I found the carcass earlier this morning.
I knew the minute I saw the otter that it was not young Slick; it was definitely a more mature male. That pretty much means the dead otter has to be Mystery Male, and closer inspection of the carcass confirmed my initial speculation. The otter's much-eroded dentition essentially matched what I'd seen on MM in life. The clincher was a long, deep area of sloughed skin on the otter's left hind foot. On October 1, I had noted the presence of an identical wound on Mystery Male's left hind foot, so seeing this in combination with the characteristically-worn teeth has made me confident of my identification...