Back from the brink of extinction, the otter is making a come-back in Britain today. Author James Williams, a life-long enthusiast of this fascinating, enigmatic creature, dispells some of the mysteries in this beautifully-illustrated book:

Reasons for the near-disappearance of the otter in the 1980s and the reasons for its recovery today

Why otters patrol their territories and fight for them

Breeding, natural history and behaviour

Unusual otter information: blind otters, the work of otter groups, the difficulties of introducing otters in the wild, their surprising ability to live close to man

Otters as predators ? their impact on fish stocks, the difficulty of fish-hunting in cold water, their favourite foods

Tracking otters through their prints, and through their spraints

Helping the otter to survive in the 21st century