Association of Propulsive Swimming Mode with Behavior in River Otters (Lutra canadensis)
Abstract
The propulsive swimming modes of river otters (Lutra canadensis) were examined relative to behavior. Six river otters were filmed in zoo enclosures that provided surface or submerged views. The repertoire of swimming modes observed for otters included quadrupedal paddling, forelimb paddling, alternate hind-limb paddling, simultaneous hind-limb paddling, and body and tail dorsoventral undulation. Paddling modes accounted for 88% of surface swimming observations and for 86% of observations involving submerged maneuvers. Dorsoventral undulation predominated during rectilinear submerged swimming. Transition from paddling to undulatory propulsion was accomplished by use of simultaneous hind-limb paddling in concert with dorsoventral body and tail flexion. These motions produced a posteriorly directed traveling wave in the tail with an average velocity 1.62 times the swimming velocity. The higher velocity in the tail could produce hydrodynamic thrust during all phases of the paddling cycle.
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In ideal flatwater conditions, river otters can reach a movement speed of roughly 1.5 m/s.
“In ideal flatwater conditions, river otters can reach a movement speed of roughly 1.5 m/s (Fish 1994); it follows, therefore, that accessing many of the further afield islands (> 5 km) in our database would require a minimum of an hour of active swimming.”
From River Otter Predation of Nesting Seabirds Along the Coasts of North America (2025) · cites this paper as Fish 1994
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River Otter Predation of Nesting Seabirds Along the Coasts of North America
Stuntz, L., & Orben, R. A. (2025) · Ecology and Evolution · doi:10.1002/ece3.72118
“In ideal flatwater conditions, river ot-ters can reach a movement speed of roughly 1.5 m/s (Fish 1994); it follows, therefore, that accessing many of the further afield islands (> 5 km) in our database would require a minimum of an hour of active swimming.”
Influential
- Authors
- Fish, F. E.
- Affiliations
- West Chester University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Fish, F. E.
- Venue
- Journal of Mammalogy
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1994-11-18
- Volume
- 75
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 989-997
- ISSN
- 0022-2372 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-1542
- OpenAlex
- W2064656843
- Cited by
- 76
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 2.59
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Mammalogy (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Aerospace Engineering › Biomimetic flight and propulsion mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Marine animal studies overview
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Urology › Comparative Animal Anatomy Studies
- Keywords
- river otter, Lutra canadensis, swimming modes, paddling, traveling waves, surface swimming, Animal locomotion
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