Mysterious Water Mammal

Well we have been going on little walks lately for exercise. On one recent jaunt around dusk we were wondering along the river near our house. We had seen a fair amount of wildlife in the area so we kept an eye on the river when we saw what seemed to be a large mammal swimming in the water. We guessed that it might be a river otter but it stayed low in the water and it was getting dark so it was hard to identify. We went home and found on the Internet that the Japanese river otter was pretty much thought extinct. It hasn't been spotted in the wild since the late seventies and in an area that is no where near us. Not to mention that we saw this mammal nearly smack bang in the middle of Kani city right outside of the supermarket next to the train line. Not really a pristine, secluded environment.

We have seen plenty of birds, some turtles and fish in the river but this was the first mammal. We went back the next afternoon and tried to spot it again. And right on sunset the little fellow was out swimming again. Like last time he was hard to identify and we lost sight of it pretty quickly. Ana did get one photo but it is pretty hard to make out. The body looks to be about half a meter long, so it isn't that small.

It is interesting that there is so much wildlife around here. I still don't really have an image of wildlife in Japan. Before coming here, if pressed, I might have thought of those monkeys that sit in natural hot springs with snow on their heads. Other than that my image of Japan has always been big cities or mountainous landscapes devoid of animals. We have seen a number of birds down by the river and elsewhere and it is nice to think that the Japanese haven't over engineered every part of the country leaving no room for animals. We have heard that there are monkeys in the hills nearby so that might be our next David Attenborough moment. I'll keep you posted on the river mammal mystery. I have to question my students to find out more info.