The Lowcountry has otters? Yep. But don’t get too close, they can take down a gator

Bluffton residents often walk outside and see alligators floating in the ponds in their communities.

But alligators aren’t the only Lowcountry animals that love the lagoons.

Kim Abernethy, an employee of The Island Packet and The Beaufort Gazette, thought she’d just spotted another alligator at The Townes at Buckwalter one warm February day in 2019.

After a second glance, she realized that was no alligator — it was a playful otter.

She pulled out her phone and started recording, capturing a video that shows the otter spinning, weaving and bobbing all around the lagoon.

Finally, it emerged victorious — with a fish between its little paws. It was lunch time.

While spotting an otter in a lagoon isn’t the most common occurrence, Abernethy’s experience wasn’t the first for the Bluffton/Okatie area. And it’s certainly not the only otter that’s drawn attention in the Lowcountry.

Jessica Miller was sitting on her couch one evening last spring when she spotted something through the window — a mother river otter and her four little pups “bouncing down the 8th fairway of Ocean Point Golf Links at Fripp Island.”

“I threw everything aside and went sprinting through my house for my camera!” Miller said. “My cats were hiding for the next 20 minutes I scared them so bad!”

Miller, who works as a naturalist at Fripp Island Resort, says she sees the cute creatures at least once or twice a year.

“Frequently my sightings have been on chilly, overcast days,” she said. “Maybe they prefer exploring when they are less likely to be seen.”

While river otters aren’t endangered in the state of South Carolina, sightings “are rare because they prefer uninhabited areas with clean, clear water where food is abundant,” according to the South Carolina Aquarium.

Their population has seen a massive decline across the country due to humans hunting them for their fur. However, the population is so dense here that they’ve been caught and redistributed to other states, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Here are five other fun facts about Lowcountry otters:

1. They’re not sea otters.

Even though our otters can live in salt water, they’re not the same as California’s sea otters. Sea otters live only in the Pacific Ocean, and they’re a lot different than the river otters we see along the East Coast.

River otters are much smaller; they usually only weigh about 20 pounds, while sea otters can weigh up to 100 pounds. Sea otters also rarely come on land, while river otters are frequently on land and even sleep in dens they build onshore.

Lowcountry river otters tend to live in coastal marshes, blackwater swamps and coastal waterfowl impoundments.

One of the most well-known differences? Sea otters frequently float on their backs; that’s usually how they eat. A river otter never swims on its back and usually eats on land.

2. They’re playful — but they can still hurt you

Otters are well-known — and loved — for their playful behavior.

But don’t let their cuteness fool you.

While it’s rare, river otters have been known to attack humans. Just two years ago, a pair of brothers were attacked by river otters in a California lake.

River otters prey on fish as well as hard-shelled aquatic creatures like crabs, mollusks and turtles, so they have really sharp teeth. And while they’re not prone to attack, they are a predatory species that will protect their families and their habitat.

3. They can take down an alligator

River otters aren’t just predatory animals — they’re nearly an apex predator.

While they can be hunted by larger mammals like coyotes, bobcats and alligators, they’re also known to take on larger prey.

In 2011, a man captured a river otter eating a 5-foot alligator in Florida.

According to National Geographic, the otter knew to bite the alligator behind the head — a learned behavior it probably picked up after previous failed attempts.

Otters can also eat mammals like beavers and raccoons, National Geographic says.

4. They can breathe under water — and ice

River otters range from the southern United States to Canada, so they’ve adapted to survive all types of weather.

Not only have they figured out how to “close their nostrils and ears” in order to swim underwater for up to 8 minutes, they’ve also adapted to swim beneath ice, according to the South Carolina Aquarium.

The otters “use trapped air bubbles” to continue to hunt in icy waters, the aquarium says.

5. They can be monogamous

Unlike most wildlife — and some humans — river otters can pick a mate to stick with for life, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

However, the social “families” are typically just the mother otters and her pups. River otters have two to five pups each year, typically born between February and April. The pups stay with their mom until they’re a little over a year old.

The males and females associate with each other only during mating season.

And while monogamous pairs have been observed, the males don’t always stay loyal.

Note to readers: Portions of this story were originally published in April 2018.

This story was originally published April 12, 2018 at 4:58 PM with the headline "The Lowcountry has otters? Yep. But don’t get too close, they can take down a gator."