Otter prints?

[Tangaroa]

Can anyone tell me if these are Otter prints? I found them at the side of the river in an area that people and dogs rarely go as it is fenced off



Thanks

P.S - I Realise the stick is pretty useless for measuring the scale for anyone else - it is used as one of the dowels in the mink raft so was just really to give me an idea of the size.

[Milner_Ecology]

Not too clear from the photo but it looks like the print has our toes, otter have five so it's pretty unlikely. again not too sure of scale but otter prints are usually about 60x60mm.

[wildsusy]

This is a cat print I'm afraid. Cat footprints are 'neat' looking like this, with 4 toes. (Although with otter prints, sometimes only 4 of their 5 toe pads make a print in the ground) Also otter prints are a different shape entirely, the palm pads are much longer on the hind feet and the forefeet don't have the same indentations as that of the cat. When looking for otter tracks, don't forget to look for tail-drag marks accompanying the prints. BIG giveaway there, as the otter has a big heavy tail which would obviously leave quite a mark behind dragging on soft ground/mud. Hope this helps