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Discover Nature (Missouri Department of Conservation)

Discover Nature: River Otters

KBIA | By Kyle Felling
Published February 10, 2021 at 7:43 AM CST
A river otter with dark brown-gray fur and white whiskers stands on a stump in the middle of a stream with brownish-green water.
North American river otters are mostly nocturnal and active all year. Watch for these playful furbearers on ice and in water this week.

This week on Discover Nature, watch for river otters on frozen water. 

  

Well suited for life in water, otters have streamlined bodies, fully webbed feet, and long, tapered tails.  Dense, oily fur and heavy layers of body fat keep them insulated. 

Otters are graceful, powerful swimmers and can remain submerged for three to four minutes.  On land, they travel with a loping gait, and on snow or ice, they alternate loping with sliding. 

River otters live in streams, rivers, and lakes, usually bordered by forest. They burrow under large tree roots, rocky ledges, fallen trees, or thickets, often in former homes of muskrats, beavers, and woodchucks. 

A century ago, otters were nearly eliminated from Missouri due to unregulated harvest. Thanks to restoration efforts, and improved stream conditions, otters have made a comeback across our state. 

Otters help control aquatic prey populations, and, in turn, are eaten by bobcats, coyotes, and other large predators. 

Keep an eye on the waterline this week, and watch for these playful furbearers’ antics on ice. 

Learn more about Missouri’s river otters and where to see them with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online field guide. 

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation. 
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Kyle Felling
Kyle Felling’s work at KBIA spans more than three decades. In 2025, he became KBIA and KMUC's Station Manager. He began volunteering at the station while he was a Political Science student at the University of Missouri. After being hired as a full-time announcer, he served as the long-time local host of NPR’s All Things Considered on KBIA, and was Music Director for a number of years. Starting in 2010, Kyle became KBIA’s Program Director, overseeing on-air programming and operations while training and supervising the station’s on-air staff. During that period, KBIA regularly ranked among the top stations in the Columbia market, and among the most listened to stations in the country. He was instrumental in the launch of KBIA’s sister station, Classical 90.5 FM in 2015, and helped to build it into a strong community resource for classical music. Kyle has also worked as an instructor in the MU School of Journalism, training the next generation of journalists and strategic communicators. In his spare time, he enjoys playing competitive pinball, reading comic books and Joan Didion, watching the Kansas City Chiefs, and listening to Bruce Springsteen and the legendary E Street Band.
See stories by Kyle Felling
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