This is the same deep pond where the otters on Page 21 were leaping out of the water. This mother otter turned her back on all that to root in the mud. I think she also reveals how an otter forages on the bottom of deeper ponds with dips and twitches and feints. I am puzzled as to why she came out on the grass. Perhaps she scared a frog out of the pond (usually they always jump in) and followed it.

If you turn up your speakers, just as the otter moves off to the left at the end of the video clip, you can hear human voices. She was reacting to two hikers coming down a trail. An otter faces more problems in life than getting food. In late October, I saw what I think was a mother teaching the pups how to escape danger without her guidance. Here briefly is the story:

I was having great luck seeing the otter family swim into one of the ponds each morning. I am pretty sure the otters knew I was there. At least some of the pups would now and then look up at me quizzically. Turn the page to see that: page25

Here is a rough guide to the video clips in the video book.