Wednesday 3 February 2016

Otter & Mink signs

A short post on a few signs of Otters that I've come across in recent weeks while walking coastline doing the Non-Estuarine Waterbird Survey. They appear to be widely distributed throughout Connemara and there probably isn't a stretch of coastline where one won't find some evidence usually in the form of spraint which they use to mark out their territory.
I also found a perfect skull of an Otter when doing counts out on Mweenish Island. The skull is very flat and wide which makes them very streamlined while diving underwater.
I've also included a shot of what I think are Mink prints from Omey Island. Doesn't seem to match anything else?

Otter spraint marker

Otter skull, looks like one of the molars on the right-hand side had been missing for a long time.

Otter skull.

Otter prints with a two Euro coin for scale.

Mink prints with a two Euro coin for scale.

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