Crunch Crunch Crunch

Gallery: WildlifePosted April 22, 2014152 views10 comments

Last spring I hiked up to one of my favorite spots in Yellowstone to look for river otters a few times. They're often seen in two small neighboring lakes in this area, one of which is stocked with trout.

The second lake doesn't have any fish, but that doesn't keep the otters away. They can subsist on smaller critters too. We watched this individual patrol the entire circumference of the lake, diving down into the tall aquatic grasses lining the bank to hunt snails, leeches and salamanders. Sometimes we wouldn't be able to see where it surfaced due to the thick grass, but we could hear the *crunch crunch crunch* as it chomped away.

I'm looking forward to returning next month. Hopefully the otters will come out and put on another show this year.

Canon 1DX
Canon 500mm f/4 IS + 1.4x TC
ISO 800
1/800th
f/6.3

Max

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on April 22, 2014 at 2:57 PM

N ice capture Max. Who doesn't like these little guys? Where exactly are these two lakes you referred to? Might want to check them out on my next visit to YNP.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on April 22, 2014 at 2:59 PM

Thanks Jerry. I'm referring to Trout and Buck Lakes, located in the NE corner. It's a short but steep hike up there. Always fun with big gear in tow.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on April 22, 2014 at 8:30 PM

Wow, this guy really has whiskers! Nice shot, Max,and I love getting a glimpse of the teeth doing the crunching. Hope you catch him again this year.

Registered on November 11, 2011, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments

Comment posted by Brad Hill on April 23, 2014 at 8:47 AM

Hi Max,

Cool shot of a cool critter. As Kathy mentioned those whiskers are really quite amazing and they certainly dominate the shot. This shot nicely illustrates a "problem" I've noticed when photographing other species of aquatic mammals (sea otters, sea lions, etc.) - the boundary layer of water held by the fur can make a shot look "soft" when it's completely in focus and sharp, especially when the animals first emerge from the water. So...if anyone makes the comment that "this looks a bit soft" I'll be the first to argue that it's not!

Cheers...good luck next month!

Brad

Registered on May 29, 2007, 431 Posts, 6061 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Cloran on April 23, 2014 at 7:36 PM

Otters are high up on my favorite critters list. Great job catching this one mid crunch.

Registered on April 6, 2004, 119 Posts, 1989 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on April 23, 2014 at 8:25 PM

Fine photo. I like the action as you caught it, you can almost hear the crunch!

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on April 23, 2014 at 10:37 PM

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Brad, you raise an interesting point regarding the perceived softness of their wet fur. More than once I've second-guessed whether the shots in this series (and others like it) were actually sharp enough.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by William Bickle on April 24, 2014 at 8:44 AM

Hello Max

Well done & Sharp!:)

Great to see these characters at work or play. I don't see many of these guys posted here and fid them quite interesting to admire. The Very long whiskers are amazing , the small tucked in ears are very interesting as well.
We have a family of River Otters on our pond but only see them when it's too dark & very early in the morning.

Thanks for sharing.

Bill

Registered on June 13, 2011, 183 Posts, 1702 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on April 24, 2014 at 9:57 PM

Excellent capture Max, love the pose. You can really see the eye well including a catchlight! The simple background helps to show him off as well. We have these guys on the local lakes around here, I see them occasionally when out in my kayak but have a hard time getting close as they are pretty wary. Best of luck this season with these guys Max.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Nate Chappell on April 26, 2014 at 6:50 PM

A great look at the eye, face and whiskers of this species Max, nice action too

Registered on February 1, 2006, 1158 Posts, 19528 Comments