New Publication: A Photographic Guide to Prey Remains in Otter Spraint
Available now as a downloadable e-book or free online resource, or as a hard copy manual from NHBS, this ground-breaking new book by Dave Groves and Susanna Ramsey gives guidance and high resolution microscopic images of scales and bone fragments that can be found in otter spraint. Suitable for the professional ecologist, researcher or keen amateur surveyor, this guide can enable insight into the diet and hunting habits of otters in an area, and into the species present in the freshwater or coastal ecosystem.
Precautions: Avian Flu
Due to the current presence of avian flu amongst bird and mammalian predators in the UK, we advise that otter spraint is considered as a potential source of viral infection and that suitable precautions are taken when collecting, handling and examining. PPE should be worn, the spraint should not be 'sniffed’ as a means of confirmation of species, and the spraint should be soaked in antiviral disinfectant before analysis.
