Today I was in the right place at the right time with the right camera in hand. The otters arrived just as I stood on the berm of the lake, about 4:00 pm. In the image above the otters (Lutra canadensis) passed very close to where I was standing.
I was shocked as Pop otter -- 'Odysseus' means full of wrath -- came charging out of the water toward me. I never saw an otter behave as they did today. They are ordinarily shy, unobtrusive creatures. However, I noted that they have very small eyes (indicative of poor eyesight). I stood very still and snapped photos as fast as I could.
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The little boy otter is only a few weeks old. We're going to call him 'Okpara' for first born son.
When I first looked out at the lake I thought there was an alligator moving toward shore. It was black and large. In this enhanced photo its apparent that it was the two otters swimming very close to one another.
As the otters reached the berm, only a few feet from me, they turned toward the boardwalk and headed for the big pond. Their den is apparently adjacent to the big pond. I've been puttering out there for weeks. . . I don't know how we've managed to miss one another?
Most otters locate their dens in excavations close to water under tree roots, rock piles, logs, or thickets. Our otters have made their home in the pit that was the 4th pond. We filled the pond with plant debris and that has made a perfect habitat for this family. They are surrounded by two ponds on one side and the lake a short distance away.
Very little scientific information exists about this species. It is assumed they have a very high metabolism and therefore spend much of their days eating. They also seem to prefer crayfish. We have millions of crayfish in the three ponds and along the lakeshore. . . so it is a great food supply for this family. There are likely 2-4 other baby otters that I did not see today.
We've Read:
A voyage along Congo’s rivers in search of a virus
A group of international scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention partnered with local experts in the Congo Republic to try to discover the origin of the monkey pox virus after several outbreaks of the disease claimed lives last year. The Washington Post sent reporter Lena Sun and photographer Melina Mara with the virus hunters to document their search.
“As we traveled in dugouts and small boats up the Ubangi River that twisted into the Motaba, we passed villages full of curious souls wondering who and what we were,” Mara said. “We were like the circus coming to town. Boats full of scientists and equipment on a search to solve a mystery — how does an illness like monkey pox spread? The people we encountered up the river did not know our mission. Their faces were full of different questions. They called to us over and over again, but we couldn’t stop. We were chasing our own questions.” This is a selection of scenes Mara photographed as the team traveled along the Congolese rivers.
Women and boats along the banks of the Motaba River. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post/)
Village residents travel by boat along the Motaba River. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post/)
A captain and his boat along the Motaba River. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post/)
Youngsters play in the Ubangi River. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post/)
A woman and child sell goods from a boat along the Motaba River. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post/)
Along the Motaba River. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post/)
MaryAnne Golon is the Director of Photography at The Washington Post.
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