Education Feature – The Eurasian Otter

November 30th, 2011

 

This month’s featured creature is the elusive Eurasian Otter (Latin name: Lutra lutra). 

The Eurasian otter is one of Ireland’s oldest mammals and is the only native otter to Europe.

Otters can be found in lakes, rivers, marshes, estuaries and coastal waters. Occasionally they can also be seen crossing bogs, farmlands, or upland areas. Otters live in burrows they dig into riverbanks called “holts”. These holts often have many different entrances, some of which may open underwater! Otters are excellent swimmers and their webbed feet, thick fur and long streamlined bodies (~90cm head to tail) make them perfectly adapted to spending much of their time in the water. Their long whiskers are also very important for helping them find food underwater or in the dark.

Otters are carnivores and predominantly feed on fish, eels and crayfish. Coastal otters eat molluscs, crabs and sea urchins. They can often be seen floating on their backs while holding food in their front paws when eating. Otters breed in spring and summer, and after 9 weeks of pregnancy, the female will give birth to 2 or 3 otter cubs. The mother feeds the cubs until they are about 4 months old and the cubs will stay with their mothers for between 6 and 12 months.

It is quite difficult to spot otters in the wild, as they are shy and are mainly active at dusk and after dark. Common signs that otters are living in an area include worn pathways leading to the water, collections of fish remains, and black droppings called ‘spraints’ which mark an otter’s territory.

The Eurasian otter is one of the most threatened mammals in Ireland, due to poor water quality, habitat loss and busy roads. The otters in Ireland are protected and are of unique conservation importance as the Eurasian otter has become extinct in much of Europe.

 

Fun Facts:

  • Their large lungs allow them to stay under water for several minutes, although most dives last for just one minute. They swim low in the water, with only their eyes, ears and nose above the surface.
  • Otters are very playful animals and even solitary otters have been spotted playing catch with pebbles.
  • Coastal dwelling otters have to visit freshwater sources often in order to rinse the salt from their fur.

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Harvesting Hazelnuts in Sonairte

November 14th, 2011

Nuts, nuts, whole Hazelnuts…….. Harvesting Hazelnuts in Sonairte

The native Hazel (Corylus avellana), a member of the birch family, is a common shrub growing in Ireland.  It is also known as Hazelnut, Common filbert, Wood nut, Cobnut or Stock nut.    In Celtic beliefs, Hazel was traditionally, the plant of knowledge, its nuts representing all wisdom enclosed within a protective shell. The legend of the Salmon of Knowledge would have us believe that the salmon ate the 9 hazelnuts of poetic wisdom, which fell from the hazel tree growing beside its sacred pool, each nut eaten became a spot on the salmons skin.

 

It is believed that as early as 6000 BC Hazel rods were woven into panels for the creation of wattle and daub walls, similar to those that encase Crannógs.  Wet clay, dung, chopped straw and lime combined with the Hazel rods to provide shelter for our ancestors.

Hazelnuts like other nuts are packed with a fantastic supply of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals good for health and for disease prevention.  They are incredibly versatile and can be eaten raw as a snack or when baking added to cakes, crumbles, bread, ice cream or meringues.   We have been harvesting the hazelnuts at Sonairte so come and enjoy them.

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