North American River Otter Occupancy and Habitat Characteristics at Mead Wildlife Area
Wildlife Ecology and Management Katherine Kuehl
Kalia Roemer Wildlife Ecology and Management
Dakota Longsine
Kayla Witt (Not Pictured)
Isaiah Bradley (Not Pictured) Wildlife Ecology and Management
Julian Dedow Wildlife Ecology and Management
Wildlife Ecology and Management
Wildlife Ecology and Management
North American River Otters ( Lontra canadensis ) are furbearers found in a variety of riparian freshwater ecosystems throughout the United States. Their elusive nature makes them a difficult species to study due to their nocturnal and semi-aquatic habits. In an effort to better understand the habitat characteristics of river otters, we set out trail cameras and performed scat and track surveys along the Little Eau Pleine River dike at George W. Mead State Wildlife Area in Central Wisconsin. In addition to trail cameras, we also recorded habitat data at the sites where otters were found to be present, including tree canopy and water body characteristics. We calculated occupancy from otter detections using the unmarked package in R on our trail camera data. These results are preliminary, and we hope to collect additional data in future years to better understand the relationship between habitat and otter occupancy.
Advisors: Paul Schilke, Ph.D. Chris Yahnke, Ph.D.
Subject Area: Wildlife
Type: Poster
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Jim and Katie Krause CNR Student Research Symposium
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