The otters have a takeaway

The cubs are over six months old now and are growing fast but they still rely on their mother to catch their food.  As they become more independent they are less often all three close by their mother's side so when she catches a fish there is often no competition for it.  Here one of the cubs shows how to eat a raw fish in 40 seconds, mostly without using its paws.

Otters mainly eat fish of course, but being carnivores they also will be happy with amphibians, crustaceans, small mammals and birds.  Ducklings and other young birds are a delicacy in springtime but occasionally there is the opportunity of something bigger.  One night last week the mother went quickly past one of the cameras with two cubs in very close attendance and something in her mouth.  The view is brief and the other cameras missed it but I worked out she had caught a drake mallard.

By the time they reached the next camera she still had the duck and wasn't letting go. Unfortunately she then took it away as I would have loved to see how she dealt with it.  All three cubs followed, hoping for a share of the spoils.  (The moaning sound is from the mother otter, not the duck!)

The cubs will have to work on their fishing skills before they become independent in a few months’ time but I expect it will be some time before they can catch a duck.