Kind of creature is this?

geographica

sorry that pics aren’t great, could it be a stoat/weasel/ferret though it’s tail looks strange, it’s near a river

glaswegian

It's an Otter.

geographica

or is it a cat that the camera caught at speed? 🤔

denismc

It's an Otter

magicbastarder

Could it be a mink?

You could check the national biodiversity website, to see if otters are known in your area. This is the record for mink.

https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/Species/119514

geographica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122922369#Comment_122922369

Thought that at first, is it small for an otter?

Deregos.

It's a small otter.

coffee to go

Or a far away otter 😁

Being serious though, unmistakably an otter - The tail profile and arched back is very distinctive. Have a hunt around near this location by the riverbank, you might be lucky to find a spraint.

denismc

Otters are low to the ground so they can appear small, but that body shape and tail look very Otter like.

Is it far from the sea? We had a sea Otter that would follow streams upstream to appear miles from the sea

geographica

thanks everyone

geographica

no, maybe 2kms as the crow flies, plenty of tributaries that flow out to sea so

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122922486#Comment_122922486

We've only one species of otter in Ireland - we don't have sea otters here.

DBB

100% an otter. Always nice to see 😊

denismc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122923627#Comment_122923627

That's interesting because most of the otters I have seen in Ireland have been in or around the sea.

DBB

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122923783#Comment_122923783

They are nevertheless our native species, the Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra), that just happen to live at the coast 😊

They still need fresh water though, to wash their fur.

The Sea Otter is from a Pacific species, and hugely bigger than our native Eurasian Otter.