How to Use river otter in a Sentence

river otter

noun
  • Everywhere there were birds; a river otter darted across the top of a levee.
    — Brooke Jarvis, New York Times, 31 May 2023
  • In past seasons, lynx and river otters have made appearances at the river.
    — Jeff Parrott, Anchorage Daily News, 26 June 2019
  • Young knew almost instantly the tracks belonged to a river otter.
    — Sophie Hartley, IndyStar, 11 Feb. 2026
  • This area will feature jaguars, monkeys, giant river otters, capybaras, birds and tapirs.
    — Rebecca Hazen, Houston Chronicle, 9 Apr. 2018
  • The giant river otter is pretty large compared to standard otters.
    — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, 26 Jan. 2022
  • Other animals banned from trapping in the state include river otter and red foxes.
    — Sara Randazzo, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2017
  • The aquarium is home to dolphins, sea turtles, river otter, fish, shark, pelicans and stingrays.
    — Richard Tribou, OrlandoSentinel.com, 6 May 2018
  • The wildlife cameras in the area eventually spotted a river otter defecating on the dock.
    — Laura Baisas Aug 14, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
  • In the dry season, wildlife enthusiasts flock to see jaguars lounging on riverbanks, as well as macaws, giant river otters and caiman.
    — Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2019
  • While the child escaped with scratches and bites, this has not been the only attack recorded of the incredibly cute river otter.
    — Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2024
  • The mother told authorities that the river otter pulled her son into the water and dragged him underneath.
    — Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 14 Sep. 2024
  • These winding waterways provide an oasis for wetland wildlife like the southwest river otter.
    — John Leos, The Arizona Republic, 2 Dec. 2024
  • The half-dozen or so river otters that frequent the watershed clearly take a toll, but biologists think something else is killing them off.
    — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, 17 Jan. 2020
  • The new otters will add a lot of playful energy to the Aquarium's river otter habitat!
    — Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 6 Apr. 2021
  • Some of the wetland wildlife includes waterfowl, river otters, gators, turtles, snakes, ocelots, foxes, frogs and many other things.
    — Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli, Houston Chronicle, 26 Jan. 2018
  • The river otter’s thick and glossy fur is valuable, and a century ago, the otters were almost extinct in Missouri.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Indian River is the central channel in the route and, apart from race weekend, a great place to spot loons, osprey and river otters.
    — Elaine Glusac, chicagotribune.com, 12 July 2018
  • Most people have no idea river otters exist in Texas, much less in Buffalo Bayou.
    — Shanon Tompkins, Houston Chronicle, 15 Feb. 2018
  • Officials have closed five acres of Manzanita Lake at the park after a man was bitten by a female river otter.
    — Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2020
  • The diet of the river otter is mainly made up of aquatic organisms including fish, turtles, frogs, crayfish, etc.
    — Cheryl Conley, Houston Chronicle, 24 Aug. 2020
  • On Friday, wildlife watchers saw more than 40 salmon jumping through the series of short pools and drops, plus a family of river otters.
    — Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle, 15 Jan. 2018
  • According to Fish and Game, river otter attacks have happened in recent years, but are not commonplace.
    — Zachariah Hughes, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Sep. 2021
  • The Fish and Game Commission has banned the trapping of river otters, desert kit foxes and red foxes, among other species.
    — Louis Sahagun, latimes.com, 13 Sep. 2017
  • One of the two domestic dogs that encountered the river otter was a puppy that had to be euthanized following the incident.
    — Kathy Leigh Berkowitz, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2020
  • Whiskers, the river otter who parented the first otter to be born at the Detroit Zoo in 50 years, died on Tuesday.
    — Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024
  • Mammals like the moose, river otter, and red fox can all be spotted on land, while close to 300 different varieties of bird have been recorded in the park over the decades.
    — Jared Ranahan, Forbes, 25 Apr. 2022
  • On March 3, North American river otter Ursula gave birth to three female pups.
    — Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2026
  • The prize for the cutest aquatic critter on our list goes to the aquarium’s North American river otters, which were all orphaned, rescued and raised by humans.
    — Linda Lombardi, chicagotribune.com, 11 June 2019
  • The Detroit Zoo announced the birth of three North American river otter pups, born to Kalee and Gus.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Three women were attacked by a river otter on Wednesday, in a surprising assault which was so brutal, one woman had to be airlifted to the hospital.
    — Evan Rosen New York Daily News (tns), al, 6 Aug. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'river otter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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