Otters Spotted Frolicking In The Petaluma River: Report

PETALUMA, CA — A man out for a walk along the Petaluma River spotted a quartet of creatures that until not too long ago would have not been at home in the waters: otters. It's not clear if they were North American river otters, which are on the federal list of endangered species. But otters they certainly were.

The Petaluma River meanders through the counties of Sonoma and Marin. With headwaters in Cotati, the river meanders through the counties of Sonoma and Marin andempties into the San Pablo Bay. On Oct. 2, a Petaluma man spotted four otters in the Petaluma River while walking along the Alman Marsh Trail, according to the Petaluma Argus-Courier.

He sent a photo to the paper showing four otters swimming in a pack, then stopping for a moment to take turns looking around before continuing on their watery trek in the general direction of downtown Petaluma. Sea otters farther south were spotted trying to hi-jack a surfboards. The culprit in one case was described as a “big, fuzzy, chunky bear of an otter."