Northern River Otter
Lontra canadensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderCarnivora (Carnívors)
- FamilyMustelidae (Mustelids)
- GenusLontra (New World River Otters)
- SpeciesLontra canadensis (Northern River Otter)
Closest Relatives at Olympic National Park
Sea Otter
Enhydra lutris
Pacific Marten
Martes caurina
Stoat
Mustela erminea
Fisher
Pekania pennanti
Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
American Black Bear
Ursus americanus
Northern Sea Lion
Eumetopias jubatus
California Sea Lion
Zalophus californianus
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Northern Elephant Seal
Mirounga angustirostris
Mountain Lion
Puma concolor
Gray Wolf
Canis lupus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Northern River Otter in Olympic National Park?
About 22% of visitor-days record a Northern River Otter sighting in Olympic National Park, based on 223 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see Northern River Otter in Olympic National Park?
February has the highest sighting rate for Northern River Otter in Olympic National Park in our monthly data.