AuthorJessica Speiser CategoriesOtters Captured on Camera:
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Welcome!5/8/2022 Hello! My name is Jessica Speiser, and I am a graduate student at South Dakota State University. I am looking forward to starting my field season this 2022 summer. We will be placing trail cameras at randomly selected stream sites. Our goal is to learn more about the habitat preferences and distribution of North American river otters in South Dakota. In order to accomplish this, we constructed platforms as a way to entice otters out of the water and in front of our cameras. We are trying a new method for lure by using otter scat to pique South Dakota otter's curiosity. That's right! We're using otter poo. Bramble Park Zoo is generously providing their otter's scat for my project and I couldn't be more grateful to them and their otter's keeper. Why otter scat?
Otters establish latrine sites in the wild. Latrine sites are essentially community bathrooms that act as social hubs where otters can effectively communicate with one another. What are they communicating exactly? Latrines inform otters on who is around, how they're feeling, and if they're ready to reproduce! Latrines can let them know about who has territories where, and allows moms to keep their pups safe from intruders. Because otters are already actively seeking out latrine sites, using scat as a lure seemed appropriate! I will use this blog to post updates on the project and I will add photos of otters as they come in! Thank you in advance for the support and assistance! |