Rivers - Mammals

European otter, UK. Photo _318227230_©_{Liliia Kanunnikova}_|_{Dreamstime.com}

The otter was one of our rarest mammals. It declined rapidly from the 1950s to the 1970s because of dangerous pesticides and loss of riverside trees. But since then efforts to clean up our rivers has meant that the otter has now returned to every county in England!

Living in an undisturbed stretch of river, the otter is perfectly adapted to swimming under water.

The otter is at the top of the food chains, eating mainly fish. It makes its home (holt) underneath overhanging tree roots.

A muddy bank provides an ideal place for the water vole's burrow; it is active by day, feeding on the roots and shoots of grasses, reeds, willow and other waterside plants. Once common throughout lowland Britain, this attractive vole is now declining because of habitat loss and pollution. Despite this the IUCN has classified it as Least Concern.

The water shrew and the mink are more mammals which you may find living in this habitat.

Table of Contents

Rivers and the Water Cycle

How does a river start?

Where does a river end?

Humans Influence on Rivers

Why Britain's rivers are at risk

Life in a Lowland River

Life at the Bottom

Bird Life on the River

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