River Otter
River otters are semi-aquatic, highly adaptable mammals known for their playful behavior and impressive swimming skills. They feed primarily on fish, crustaceans, and other aquatic life. While they are equally at home in the water and on land, they often spend two-thirds of their time in the water.
Their webbed feet, long bodies and powerful tails help them move quickly through the water, and they can also hold their breath for up to 8 minutes and dive to depths of 60 feet! River otters can live as singles or in pairs, but are also very sociable, and often gather in small groups for water play.
They can be found in rivers, lakes, marshes and coastal areas and communicate through a series of chirps, growls and whistles. In their local ecosystems, they are both predator and prey, helping to maintain healthy populations of various species.
What do you love about this particular creature?
What do they reveal to you about God and our faith?
The river otter reminds me of how important it is to remain adaptable. While we are surrounded by salt water here, the local river otters find a way to thrive in the salt marshes, eating the tiny crabs and smaller clams along the mud flats. Their social skills are also impressive as they find time to play in addition to hunting for food, finding both tasks equally important.
When storms ravage our area, they are often the harbingers of normality as they are one of the first water mammals to return – showing resilience in the face of disaster. They just go on rebuilding their lives and remember to make time for joy every day.
Author - Kim Hanson
Kim Hanson is a Vestry member at St. Peter’s-by-the-Sea in Narragansett and lives near the shore in Matunuck, Rhode Island. As a freelance writer, Kim often incorporates parts of her natural environment in her short stories and essays.
O Creator God, you are known by your loving embrace of the undeserving and those who suffer: Grant us sight of your justice and conviction to love all creatures; through Jesus Christ the Wisdom of Creation, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Creation Collect (Proper 21 Year C) from Season of Creation, A Celebration Guide for Episcopal Parishes