Welcome
North American River Otters
2026 season otters will be arriving soon! Contact us today to get added to the wait list!
About Us
Who We Are and What We Do
Hello, and welcome to Clark's Otters! I am Andrew Clark, the owner. My wife, Jennifer, and I run a USDA and state licensed facility located in western Ohio that places North American river otters in licensed facilities. I had the honor of helping rehome NAROs for 10 years with a dear friend before my wife and I took over in 2020.
Who Can Purchase An Otter
Please check with your local USDA branch to make sure it is legal for you to own a North American river otter before contacting us to be placed on the wait list. We do require you to show proof that you have your USDA license in order to be placed on the wait list. Even if you're not required to have a USDA APHIS license where you live, we only place our otters in facilities that are USDA licensed.
Along with contacting your local USDA branch, please contact your local Department of Natural Resources/Fish & Wildlife Services to see if you are legally allowed to own a North American river otter where you live, and if so find out what permits and other requirements they have for owning them.
Some states also require you to have an import permit to bring the otter(s) into your state (we've run into this with Florida and Pennsylvania so far).
We are required to have all applicable permits & licenses on file for anyone we sell to, so be prepared to provide this information to us please.
If you are interested in owning North American river otters, please take the time to research before making this commitment.
These are wild animals and they will bite. They are a hands-off animal! River otters are not suitable for a petting zoo or as pets.
They require a large enclosure with roughly 2/3 land and 1/3 water. River otters spend more time on land than many people realize. They are escape artists due to their abilities to climb, dig, chew and move objects. They are very strong and have been known to bend and break thin gauge wire and also chew through planks of wood.
Facts About North American River Otters
- North American river otters, also known as Canadian otters, are mammals found in most of North America
- They can weigh anywhere from 11 to 30 pounds and can grow to be 2.5 feet - 4 feet long when full grown
- An otter's tail makes up about 40% of their length
- They typically live 8-9 years in the wild, but it's been recorded that they can live into their 20's in captivity
- North American river otters have webbed feet
- Their ears and nostrils close when they are underwater
- They can stay underwater for up to 4 minutes at a time (although there has been some instances of them staying under for a couple minutes longer than that!)
- River otters can dive down to 60 feet deep and swim 6-7mph
- Their diet mainly consists of fish, but they also love to eat frogs, crayfish, turtles, and insects. Given the chance, they will cause significant damage to fish and crayfish farms
- Due to their high metabolism, they must eat often
- In the wild, they typically eat 15-20% of their body weight a day. In captivity offering about 10% of their body weight has shown to maintain a healthy weight
- An otter's home can range anywhere from 3-30 square miles!
- North American river otter gestation lasts roughly 60-70 days, but the mother can delay implantation 7-11 MONTHS
- They typically give birth in late winter/early spring to a litter of 1-3 pups most commonly, but can have up to 6 pups
- It is uncommon for North American river otters to breed in captivity
For more information, visit these websites:
MergedFile (otterspecialistgroup.org)
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/North-American-River-Otter
https://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/osg-newsite/resources/otters-in-zoos-etc/
http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/osg-newsite/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Otter_Nutrition_2012.pdf
https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nwrawildlife.org/resource/resmgr/symp_19/f_handouts/barron_otter_med.pdf
https://www.otters.net/id.html
https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/north-american-river-otter
http://www.nationalforests.org/blog/seven-quick-facts-about-river-otters