Distribution and mesohabitat characteristics of river otter in eastern Kansas.

Abstract

The river otter (Lontra canadensis) was extirpated from Kansas in the early 1900s. From May of 1983 to 1984, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks reintroduced 17 river otters in eastern Kansas. Missouri also began a reintroduction program that released over 800 individuals between 1982 and 1992. In addition to the location of the release and the potential movement into the state from Missouri, river otter distribution in Kansas may also depend on the amount of suitable habitat and food availability. Bridge surveys in the field during 1999 and 2000 were used to determine distribution of river otter. ArcInfo and ArcView were used to determine the potential habitat use by river otter in eastern Kansas. Stepwise discriminant function analysis was applied to the data of surveyed bridge sites. Thirty-one variables, measured from the field and digitally include: the presence or absence of river otter and beaver (Castor canadensis), stream order, number of tributary streams, a measure of curvilinearity of the stream segment, proximity to wetlands and/or fann ponds, size characteristics of wetlands and/or farm ponds, shoreline diversity of water bodies, and percentage of land cover types. The number of water bodies within the first 300 m of the core area of the channel was detern1ined to be the only significant variable relative to river otter occurrence for 120 bridge sites (P < 0.085) and 59 bridge sites of concentrated river otter occurrence (P < 0.0 19). Information from my study of mesohabitat characteristics has the potential to assist other Great Plains states in designating habitat for river otter reintroduction as well as help determine river otter distribution patterns in states with reintroductions already implemented.