SAN MARCOS, Texas — Otters have returned to the San Marcos River, according to a report from The University Star, Texas State University's student-run newspaper.
A glass-bottom boat manager told The University Star there hadn't been sightings of otters in San Marcos since the 1950s. Seven decades went by before students walking along the river spotted an otter in 2021.
Now, the paper reports that people at The Meadows Center – a nature preserve located in San Marcos – have found four North American river otters since, with the latest spotting this February.
Ivan Castro-Arellano, an associate professor in biology at Texas State, told the paper the otters' reappearance is an indication that the river is in healthy shape. He said river otters are also an indicator species, meaning their presence, absence or abundance in an environment serves as a sign of that ecosystem's overall condition.
Other sources interviewed by the paper attributed the river's good condition to the city's Edwards Aquifer Habitat Conservation Plan, which protects endangered species in the San Marcos and Comal rivers by removing invasive species and enhancing the habitat with native plants.
Virginia Parker, executive director of the San Marcos River Foundation, told The University Star it's important to maintain conservation efforts so the otters can thrive.
To learn more, read The University Star's full report.