otterfamily | Entries tagged with slick

I saw a family of 6 otters this evening! Here's a short video of 5 of them swimming toward the pier:

That's the elder matriarch at front left, an adult daughter at her side, and three pups of the year behind the females. (I don't know if they are all the old mother's or a combining of two females' litters.) The sixth individual was Slick, who had already come over to the pier by himself about a minute earlier. :3

I saw otters at Trinidad this evening! First sighting since last September. It was the family – a mom, two juveniles (one of which was a pup of the year), and a companion who I'm 90% sure was Slick. (He would be 9 this year.) Didn't see much of the second juvenile, but I think it was more likely a yearling than a pup. Just missed getting to touch Slick on the nose under the dock (eating in his usual spot, as always), and I probably would have succeeded if I didn't have my dog with me. Anyway, it was a big thrill to see them! First time this summer, but hopefully not the last. :3

The dock area is closed now, meaning another summer season has come to an end. I only saw otters once, but that was enough to make worthwhile all my tribulations of the past 10 months. I'm content, because I know that, wherever the otter family is living now, they are alive, and they are safe, and those are the most important things to me. And Slick still lives, and through him, the old blood line will continue.

Slick also taught me two final lessons, one of which is that a male will sometimes leave his birth area to take up permanent residence somewhere else. I'd never had firm evidence for this before, as all the males born at Trinidad in the past remained there their whole life. But now I know that a male will disperse to another area to live in proximity to a female to whom he is bonded.

Slick's also shown me that an adult male can become a full-time cohabitating member of a family group of a mother and her young. I hadn't seen this since 1983, when I was first starting to watch the otters, but back then, I wasn't quite certain about what I was seeing. Granted, I only saw Slick and his family once, but I saw enough to know that this had been going on for quite a while. And taking up permanent residence with the neighboring family really was the only satisfactory explanation for why he had apparently vanished completely from Trinidad Bay.

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Finally, I wanted to share a picture taken during what were probably my final moments of watching otters at Trinidad, just after 9PM on August 19.

There are actually two otters on the rocks at right, but they're too indistinct to be recognizable. The picture captures a typical moment, though – me, the lone watcher, seeing things that no one else can see. I'm glad I wasn't really alone that particular night, though. My friend Dan took this picture. I was so glad he was there then. At least I got to share my Happy Ending with someone else who really knows what these animals mean to me.

Current Music: Pink Floyd: Time

Arriving at the pier last night with out-of-town company, I was surprised to find unequivocal sign right away that at least one otter had visited the dock that very day. There were two very fresh fish scraps – and only two – on top of one of the pontoon floats under the dock. Only an otter could have put them there, and not just any otter, but one that was familiar with the pier structure. I was very excited! One of the natives had obviously returned!

So for the first time this summer, I went into active otter-spotting mode. Scanning the headland, I noticed a new path in the brush at the main den site that was just as wide as an otter's body, and saw signs that a second den entrance had been used recently, too. Then, about twenty minutes later, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and to my amazed delight, I saw not one but five otters walking down the crag of the main den towards the water: three adult-sized individuals, and two pups-of-the-year. (It was the largest assemblage of otters I've seen here in six years.)

It was after sunset already, so I had to rely on behaviors alone to figure out who I was looking at. To make a long story short, after witnessing all the various interactions, I believe the group was comprised of Mother, Pup (now a yearling, and evidently a female – yay!), a new male and female pup, and Slick! (I'm now convinced more than ever that he is the father of all of the youngsters.) I don't know where they've been for the last 8-1/2 months, but obviously, they're all alive and well and doing fine!

With such a long absence, I know I still don't have a study anymore, but at least it has a happier ending now than it did before, and my otter-starved soul is whole once again. :-)

Going through the 2007 video frame by frame, I found quite a few individual images that really stood out to me. In these two, Slick to my eye looks exactly like his mother in one frame, and milliseconds later, he looks like a clone of his other direct matrilineal forebear: Little Mama.

Slick looks like Scoots's reincarnation here:

Then, after turning his head ever-so-slightly, he's the spitting image of his grandmother:

And he REALLY looks like Little Mama in this one...

I know that almost everyone reading this probably can't see any difference between the top images, but trust me, the degree of Slick's resemblance to his maternal kin in these two frames is almost spooky. It's also kind of surprising to me, though, because in his younger years, I didn't think Slick had much of "the family resemblance." But now that his fur is taking on the "grizzled" appearance of age - especially in his face - he clearly looks like the rightful inheritor of his lineage.

Slick's official portraits, 2007.

Took a chance going to the pier in the rain yesterday and was rewarded with a sighting of Mother and Pup! Hadn't seen them since October 5, so I was very pleased. Fifteen minutes earlier or later and I would have missed them, so it really was perfect timing.

Saw Slick a week ago, too, all on his own. He is a very large otterguy now! At 5 years of age, he's in the absolute prime of life, and he totally looks it. His mom and grandma would be truly proud. I know I am!

It took me all summer, but it's finally confirmed - Mother's pup is a male. I'd been hoping it'd be a female, of course, but that's alright. At least there's a competent young mother otter residing along this stretch of coast again. I'm certain she'll produce many daughters here in the years to come.

Now to come up with a name for the not-so-little boy. I want to give him a handle that refers to his enormous size, but the most logical name - "Giant" - is already taken (he was Little Mama's littermate brother). I would also like to come up with a name that isn't lame, like most I've chosen over the years. ;-) Anybody got any suggestions?

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I also saw something yesterday I've never seen before. A harbor seal touched Mother's tail with his nose while she was eating on a rock. Normally skittsy Mother wasn't fazed by the contact at all, which suggests to me that it's happened before; I just wasn't here to note it. I've seen otters initiate contact with seals many times in the past, but I can't remember a seal making an initial overture before. Anyway, right after that, the pup saw the seal and he dove in to play with the pinniped! I have seen that happen before, but only a tiny handful of times. I guess the kid's just desperate for playmates; he being an "only child," after all.

And when Mother and pup were done, they went up into a den I call "Flower Crag." F/c was one of the otters' principal dens during the '80s and early '90s, but it was essentially abandoned after the debacle of 1992. Little Mama never used it for her family over the years. Interesting that this new mother has apparently re-discovered it on her own. Or maybe not on her own, as a few minutes after Mo+1 went up into the brush, a third otter - putatively Slick - ran up the path and joined them inside. I'm sure it was Slick who "taught" Mother about his den at the Girls' Crag, so I guess it's reasonable to assume he tipped her off about Flower Crag, too.

My golden retriever, Bucky, has become quite an otter-spotter recently! During summers past, I've generally left Bucky at home, because with all the usual otter activity, I'm way too busy to tend to him. This summer, though, with only one otter in residence (and sporadically at that), my trips to the pier have turned more into general outings with my dog, rather than dedicated otter-watching sessions.

So I've been quite surprised - even amazed - to see how interested Bucky is when he sees Slick around the dock. About a month ago I took this video of Bucky trying to see where Slick had disappeared to:

Watch on YouTube

Anyway, this evening, Bucky saw Slick up on the one remaining section of the floating dock. Bucky fixed his gaze on the otter and he began trembling; just slightly at first, but after only a few seconds, Bucky's trembling became truly violent. His whole body was shaking, almost like he was convulsing! I don't think he was scared; I think Bucky was actually just intensely interested in Slick. He made no move towards Slick or away from him, either. Bucky just laid there trembling and watched Slick's every move. I could totally relate! I get a charge every time I see an otter at the pier, and quite obviously, so does my dog!

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Been almost a month since I've seen Mother and the pup. I'm not worried at all, though. I know now that Trinidad harbor is just a "second home" to her. I'm sure she and the kid are safe and sound somewhere, and that I'll see them again whenever they decide to pay another visit.

Slick's back in town; been here probably since the 11th, and yesterday, I got to touch his nose twice with my finger! That's always a thrill. The way this happens is that an otter will find a filleted fish scrap on the sea floor, then take it under the floating dock and climb on top of one of the pontoons to eat it. If I'm standing on the dock, I can generally look down and see the otter eating there. Then it's just a matter of sticking my finger down between the slats on the dock deck and having the curious otter see it, then reach up and try to sniff/touch the very tip of my finger with his nose.

I used to get noses all the time during summers past, but I think I've only gotten 4 so far this whole year. And every time it happens now, I wonder, will this be the last time?

I've been thinking for a while that Chirper is gone, but it's now been ninety days since I last saw him, so it's finally official. Slick is the only adult male left at Trinidad Bay now.

That's not to say that old "Mystery Male" is dead. In fact I rather doubt it. He's simply returned to wherever he disappeared to last time in 2003-2004, which I presume is also the place of his birth nine years ago.

What I think probably happened is that Chirper and Slick had a falling out during the last mating season in April. Being the only two adult males along this local stretch of coastline, it was inevitable that they would fight over access to the only two adult females – Nova and Mother – and apparently, Slick won. It's not surprising to me that there was a sundering between these two. I've documented loss of friendship between males before, and anyway, I could tell by how they behaved around each other that Slick and Chirper weren't very close to begin with.

But even if Chirper isn't dead, that leaves one less otter here now; one step closer to the population's demise.

I saw three otters exit the Girls Den together this evening! It was about 20 minutes after sunset, though, so I couldn't get positive IDs, but I'm certain two of them were Mother and the pup, and parsimony makes it likely that Slick was #3. The pup is also huge for his age, which means he's probably a male. *sighs* Too dark to tell for sure, though. The group was very cohesive, and Mother was as vigilant as ever. And the pup was obviously happy to have a playmate tag along! There's a remote possibility the third otter was Nova, but it's a very remote one. I think Nova would have joined the family dyad two months ago if she and Mother were really mother and daughter.

I hope this group sticks together! Better for all their safety if they do, and most especially for the pup.

I've really been surprised at the complete lack of scat on the floating dock this summer. It's usually a disgusting mess if there are any otters in residence. Since Chirper went missing in mid-June, though, there's been a grand total of just one teeny-tiny scat on the dock; this despite the fact that Slick has been a regular resident here the past month.

So why is Slick not pooping on the dock? I think it's obvious – with Mother's pier-phobia and Chirper absent, there are no other otters visiting the dock that could read Slick's fecal messages, so he's simply not bothering. I used to think that their scats had only incidental value as a medium for the otters' intraspecific communication, but obviously I was completely wrong in that belief. Quite clearly, otters only poop where they are certain that other otters will find it (and sniff it).

Some special pics for friends of this LJ.

Slick in his hole:
https://otters.net/img/slickinhishole1_072407.jpg
https://otters.net/img/slickinhishole2_072407.jpg

Mischief in a boat:
https://otters.net/img/slickinaboat_072407.jpg

Portrait, Summer 2007. Slick bears an uncanny resemblance to both his mother and grandmother here:
https://otters.net/img/slick_2007.jpg

And here's a short clip of Slick that I took with my digital camera:

Watch on YouTube

Got to watch Slick for a nice long time yesterday evening. Then, just as he was returning home, I saw Mother and her pup for the first time in 6 weeks! I knew if the pup lived that I'd see her again, and for once, I was right. And more good news – I think the pup might be a female!

Now that Slick's fur is grizzling with age, I was struck by how much he resembles his grandmother. The way he looks, the way he moves, it was almost like I was watching Little Mama again. Unfortunately, he's also acting a bit recklessly like his grandma used to, too, loitering around fishermen for handouts. I don't like to see that sort of thing, but there's nothing I can really do about it.

Mother and pup were too far away to take a picture, but here's one of Slick last night peering out from his hidey-hole.

Saw Slick yesterday. First confirmed sighting of him since June 11. I still haven't seen the two males together since before mating season, which is very unusual. Slick and Chirper never seemed close even before then, though. I'm wondering if they got into a fight over a female and had a permanent falling-out. Anyway, it was good to see The Kid again. I actually think I saw him a couple of other times in recent weeks, but I wasn't able to confirm the ID 100%...

There are some really great otter pics & videos on this website:

http://cuteotters.com/

Broken website.

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In other news – there were no sightings of the new mother and baby in the past week. Slick appears to be the only otter in residence here at the present time...

I 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...

Yesterday evening, for the first time since last October, I saw all three otters out together, and finally, FINALLY, I was able to confirm the gender of the newcomer. It is indeed a yearling female! I'd suspected this for a while based solely on her diminuitive size, but to be absolutely sure, I had to wait for an opportunity to see her pee. Now, I am 100% positive that there is a new female at Trinidad Bay. Hooray!!!

I think I can credit Slick for recruiting her, as those two were each other's constant companion last night; the little girl following him everywhere like he was her big brother. Chirper was more or less indifferent about her (that's oh-so-typical for the eldest male), but he was quite tolerant of her company. This is actually only the second instance of me seeing a yearling female being accepted as a long-term social co-equal with the adult males; the other time being 15 years ago when Little Junior (Little Mama) was a full member of the male Clan during her yearling year.

I'm calling her "Nova." A long time ago I'd decided that if Old Mama's lineage did die out, and a new female came to reside here, that's what I'd name her. So, welcome to Trinidad Bay, little Nova! I honestly didn't think I'd live to see this happen, but once again, I am so happy I was wrong!

I finally did screengrabs of this past summer's video footage. Basically I went through the whole video frame-by-frame looking for good photographic shots. I found some very nice facial portraits of the two males, which I'll post later. Right now, though, I want to show you an amusing little play sequence.

Mystery (right) displays the typical otter "play face" - a relaxed open mouth that bares the lower teeth.

Slick (left) is already hyped up when he sees Mystery's invitation to tangle, and he immediately lunges at his companion.

Mystery, however, totally anticipates Slick's move and masterfully dodges sideways, completely foiling his would-be assailant.

Slick then goes nuts, realizing he hit nothing but air, and he runs at full speed toward the water and plunges in, making a big splash:

After Slick "got kinetic," as I term it, the two males continued their play session in the water. It was a great show. I was happy to see it, as this turned out to be the only extended period of play I witnessed all summer...

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J Scott Shannon

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J Scott Shannon

Entries tagged with slick

Family of 6!

Otters!

A happy ending

Otters!!!

The family resemblance

Best of Slick

Lucky!

It's a boy

Otter dog!

Two noses!

It's official

Three Otters Together!

Spraints-less summer

The Slickster

Mother's back!

Slickness

Cool site

Chirp!

It's a girl!

Getting kinetic