Distribución y uso del espacio costero de las nutrias en la fachada cántabro-atlántica
- Rafael Romero Suances
- Carlos Nores
- Pedro García-Rovés
- José Guitián
- Jordi Ruiz-Olmo
- José María López Martín (coord.)
- Juan Jiménez Pérez (coord.)
Publisher: Sociedad Española para la Conservación y Estudio de los Mamíferos ; Universidad de Málaga (UMA)
ISBN: 978-84-612-9094-9
Year of publication: 2009
Pages: 397-420
Type: Book chapter
Abstract
In the Atlantic Coasts of the Iberian Peninsula otters are ranged from southern Portugal to Cantabria. Within this area and according to the results of a recent survey, otters were poorly distributed in the Rías Baixas (Pontevedra), Golfo Ártabro (Coruña) and the central part of the Asturias coastline. Therefore, the species seems to be absent from the most heavily populated areas. Optimal coastal habitats for otters in Atlantic Iberia include unexposed coastal stretches with available freshwater sources and a relatively large proportion of shallow waters where otters may forage more efficiently. Field ranges for coastal otters in the study area were 5 to 10 km long. The expansion of the coastal range of otters in the study area is probably a reflection of a more general trend affecting otter populations in Iberia in the last two decades.