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North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) are playful creatures, swimming around and over and under each other and sometimes even hitching a ride.

Otters can be found all across North Carolina – including Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge where these were photographed – but there was a time in the 1800s and early 1900s that fur trappers had just about wiped them out.

Conservation efforts helped restore the population to a current healthy level, noted USFWS.

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