River Otter and Gray Squirrel
Where are they found?
River otters can be found all throughout North America. They inhabit several different types of aquatic habitats, both freshwater and saltwater, including lakes, rivers, inland wetlands, coastal shorelines, marshes, and estuaries. They are not particularly sensitive to temperature and elevation (though they are very vulnerable to pollution, which has reduced and even eliminated the river otter population in some areas), and their only requirements of a habitat are a steady food supply and access to some type of body of water. They live in burrows that contain several tunnels, one of which usually can transport them from the den to the water.
The grey squirrel can be found in the midwestern and eastern United States, as well as some eastern parts of Canada. They often inhabit forests, but can also be found in parks and backyards. They create dens on the branches of trees or in hollowed tree trunks, and they occasionally make their homes in abandoned bird's nests. They typically line their dwellings with moss, dried grass, and feathers, which help to reduce heat loss.