KYLE, Texas — In a rare sighting, a North American river otter was seen swimming this week in a Central Texas lake.
According to a social media post from the city of Kyle, the animal was spotted Tuesday in Lake Kyle, roughly 22 miles southwest of Austin.
The city said the sighting was a sign that more otters are returning to the area.
Typically, these semiaquatic mammals live and hunt between a radius of 3 and 15 square miles, traveling up to 30 square miles in some instances.
They often live alone or with one other otter, but they also enjoy playing in groups by creating slides along muddy banks.
Since 2021, four river otters have been reported in the San Marcos River, including the most recent sighting last February, according to the University Star. Before that, the animals were not reported in the Central Texas waterway for 70 years.
While rare in the central part of the state, these mammals are more likely to be found in East Texas, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).