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otterfamilyI saw Slick and Nova at dusk yesterday. It was too dark to see facial characteristics, but I could tell who it was anyway. I ID'ed Slick by his sharp white lower canines, and I suspected the companion was Nova by the way it followed Slick everywhere, like a pup following a mom. I wasn't certain about that ID, though, until after the two briefly got separated, and the one otter started to chirp. Chirping! Adult males don't generally chirp when they get separated; I mean they do sometimes, but Chirper and Slick don't. The fact is, until Nova came along, I haven't heard the sound of otter chirping at all since Scout died, back in 2004. That sweet birdlike note was music to my ears, I'll tell you. I'd almost come to the conclusion that I'd never hear that sound again.
And Slick, hearing Nova's chirps, sought out his lost companion, and they resumed working the tidepools together. They make such a sweet, almost maternal couple. If Nova is as old as I think she is, though, she will be coming into her first estrus within the next fortnight. If she doesn't, then I'll know she is actually an orphaned pup, not yet one year old. I almost hope it's the latter, because after she attains physiological adulthood, her relationship with the males will probably never again be this close and friendly...
And Slick, hearing Nova's chirps, sought out his lost companion, and they resumed working the tidepools together. They make such a sweet, almost maternal couple. If Nova is as old as I think she is, though, she will be coming into her first estrus within the next fortnight. If she doesn't, then I'll know she is actually an orphaned pup, not yet one year old. I almost hope it's the latter, because after she attains physiological adulthood, her relationship with the males will probably never again be this close and friendly...
