IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
© IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group

Volume 16 Issue 2 Pages 58 - 110 (October 1999)

Call for Information
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OTTERS AND DEEP WATER RESERVOIRS

We presently have a student studying the diet and habitat use of otters (Lutra lutra) around a deep water reservoir in the Czech Republic. However, the published information on this subject appears to be virtually zero! We would therefore like to put out a call for information on this, or related subjects. Please send any suggestions to the following address:

Kevin Roche / Kerry Rhodes
Czech Otter Foundation Fund
POB 53
Trebon 379 01
Czech Republic
Tel / FAX: +420 333 722088
e-mail: otter@envi.cz

REQUEST FOR OTTER SKULLS OF KNOWN AGE

(This Call for Information has been published earlier - IUCN OSG Bull. 15/2 - but at the 18th Marderkolloquium earlier this year a better use of museum material was recommended in one of the workshops. Therefore it is published again - The editor)

Dear friends and colleagues,

At the Marderkolloquium it was recommended during a round table meeting that material in museums should be made available for scientific research.

The ability to determine the age of animals is one of the most important conditions for interpreting various field and laboratory work. Not only the interpretation of population structure, but also of physiological data or animal behaviour is closely connected with as precise knowledge as possible of the absolute age of the animals. Besides many methods of age determination, the use of growth lines is most promising and serviceable. This method is based upon the assumption that, in the course of growth, skeleton material and especially teeth periodically deposit well defined layers of bone substances, cementum and dentine.

Nevertheless, application of this method encounters objective and subjective difficulties as well. Contrary to roe deer, red fox and other game species, for instance, there is no concrete evidence for the periodical or annual deposition of cementum lines in the otter. Also seasons and time period of forming growth lines vary interspecifically and are hardly known for this species. To adapt this method for otter ageing we need skulls of European otters (Lutra lutra) of known absolute age. Such material can be or become available, for instance, in zoological gardens, veterinarian and zoological institutes. Skulls in every stage and condition (fresh, macerated, skull fragments) can be used; if only teeth are available in lieu of a skull preparation, they can be used towards the same purpose. For age determination, only one tooth will be extracted from the alveole and two longitudinal sections (50-100 *m thick) of the tooth root will be taken. After re-insertion of teeth into the alveoles, no damage to the face of the skull will be evident. Therefore, also skulls for exhibition use or teeth from dermoplastics are of interest.

If you have any information about known-age otters or otter skulls we would be very grateful for your help.

STANDARDS FOR THE KEEPING OF WILDLIFE SPECIES

Zoocheck Canada is a national wildlife protection charity based in Toronto, Canada. We are currently conducting an analysis of legislated and individual institutional standards for the keeping of wildlife species native to Ontario in captivity (see list below).

We are seeking input from zoological institutions, organizations, and private individuals who (a) maintain "exceptional" exhibits that satisfy the biological/behavioral requirements of one or more of the listed species or (b) who possess a high level of expertise in the natural history, care, accommodation and display of one or more of the listed species.

In addition, we are requesting anyone reading this request to forward contact information regarding institutions or individuals who may be able to contribute to this study.

To ensure that information from each contributor is manageable for the purposes of this study, a generic template (see below) for the collection of data on each listed species has been developed. Not all criteria listed in the template will apply to all species and contributors have the option of providing as much, or as little, detail in each category as they like. Additional categories can be created if required.

Information obtained from each contributor will be used in the analysis and development of suggested standards of care, accommodation and display of native Ontario wildlife in captivity. The results of the analysis will be made available to all contributors upon completion of the project.

Zoocheck Canada would appreciate a response, as soon as possible, regarding whether or not you are able to assist with this study. To respond, or to obtain additional information, please contact Rob Laidlaw (zoocheck@idirect.com).

Thank you for your assistance

Rob Laidlaw

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