The Otter

Back from the brink of extinction, the otter is making a come-back in Britain today. Local author James Williams, a life-long enthusiast of this fascinating, enigmatic creature, dispels some the mysteries in his beautifully-illustrated book, ‘The Otter’.

• Reasons for the near-disappearance of the otter in the 1980s and the reasons for its recovery today
• Why otters patrol their territories and fight for them
• Breeding, natural history and behaviour
• Unusual otter information: blind otters, the work of otter groups, the difficulties of introducing otters in the wild, their surprising ability to live close to Man
• Otters as predators - their impact on fish stocks, the difficulty of fish-hunting in cold water, their favourite foods
• Tracking otters through their prints, and through their spraints
• Helping the otter to survive in the 21st century

You can get your copy direct from the publisher Merlin Unwin Books.

James Williams is chairman of the Somerset Otter Group. You can find out more about the group and how you can get involved with surveying for otters in the county here.