Critter ID

[GBoyd]

Sorry for the bad picture, I saw a small animal that I don't recognize while canoeing on the Tualatin river this afternoon. At first I thought it was an otter, but it's smaller than most river otters I've seen and didn't seem to want to swim. When we got too close and spooked it, it ran back on this log and ran away along the bank.

I'm thinking marten or fisher, but I've never seen either before and I thought they weren't supposed to live here?

[shootem]

With in the quality of the pic as shown and blown up it sure looks like a young otter. It has the thick tail and bigger head. I love em.

[GBoyd]

It sure could be. As I got closer I came away thinking it wasn't an otter, but maybe it was.

I need to back out there in the evening with a real camera.

[Timberstalker]

Is it a Mink?

[WAcoyotehunter]

With in the quality of the pic as shown and blown up it sure looks like a young otter. It has the thick tail and bigger head. I love em.

+1  I think that is an otter

[MtnMuley]

Otter

[kodiak 907]

Otter

[GBoyd]

Is it a Mink?

Oh. Yeah, it was a mink. I hadn't considered it, but now that I'm looking at pictures on google I'm sure that's what it was. I can see how it looks like an otter in the pictures, but it had such a weasel-y gait when it was running.

Cool! Like I said, I'll have to hunt him down and get some better pictures.