Research Project

Chesapeake Bay Otter Alliance

  • Parasitic worms from river otter

    Parasitic worms found in fecal matter left by river otters. Photo credit: K. McDonald

  • Evidence of a river otter latrine

    River otters congregate around latrine areas, leaving behind evidence of their presence, diet, and parasites. Photo credit: K. McDonald

  • River otter scat

    DNA and undigested bits from fecal matter, or scat, left behind by river otters can tell us about their population size, diet, and health. Photo Credit: K. McDonald

Affiliated Labs

Project Goal

To promote the North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) as a a sentinel species for ecosystem and public health and a flagship species for coastal conservation.

Description

The number of people living in the coastal zone continues to increase, thus requiring new approaches to conservation and public health efforts in these areas. Using a charismatic semi-aquatic mammal to introduce and promote conservation and health-related issues, we hope to provide STEM learning and research opportunities for all ages. 

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River otters possess several characteristics that make them an ideal flagship and sentinel species. Despite being a little elusive and primarily nocturnal, river otters are playful, social animals that are also top predators in the Chesapeake Bay. Along the shore they use special places called “latrines” to not only defecate and urinate, but also eat and, most importantly, communicate.  As a sentinel species, their status as an apex predator means that their scat can provide information about predator-prey dynamics, prey diversity, and food web interactions, including parasites that move through the food web (i.e., digenetic trematodes). Second, they are hosts for multiple parasites that infect both people and wildlife (e.g., Giardia spp., Toxoplasma gondii) and are sensitive to several environmental toxins, including many that are hazardous to human health (e.g., mercury, PCBs). Lastly, they are an accessible species for scientists to study. Researchers can identify latrines along the shoreline, then set up game cameras and collect scat from these locations to generate extensive data on river otter biology and ecology without causing any harm to the animals. These characteristics make river otters a compelling species for education, research, and conservation activities. 

The Chesapeake Bay Otter Alliance (CBOA) includes scientists from 17 different organizations across the National Capital Region, including the Smithsonian Institution, DOEE, MD DNR, the Environmental Journalism Justice Initiative (EJJI) and many other state, county, and regional parks. This group has been studying and documenting the ecology of the North American river otter across a gradient of urbanization to see how river otter diets and the parasites impacting them changes based on how much the land around them has been modified by humans. 

Glossary:  

Flagship species: a species that is selected to be a symbol for a defined habitat, ecosystem, or environmental cause. 

Sentinel species: a species used to detect risks to humans by providing advance warning of a health threat 

Research Topics