ROMP!

An expert on otters dives into their wild and wonderful world

You've heard of a murder of crows and a pride of lionsbut what about a romp of otters? In this informative and entertaining book, animal behaviorist Heide Island takes readers on an odyssey through otterdom, focusing on a family, or "romp," of river otters that live near her home in Puget Sound while also weaving in research about otters around the globe. Tracking an otter nicknamed Patches and her three pups, Island observes as they hunt, play, and try to survive the various dangers in their environment.

But the greatest danger they face isn't predators or food-stealing scavengers. It's humans. Because while they captivate our imagination with their intelligent and social behavior, these charming creatures, like so many species, face an uncertain future in an era of climate change and habitat destruction. And we can learn crucial lessons about nature and our relationship with it by studying their adaptability, diversity, and personality, from the adorable sea otters of Monterey Bay to the giant otters of the Amazon.

Discover what otters have to teach us about the world we share in Romp!

Heide Island, PhD, is a professor of biological psychology and behavioral ecology at Pacific University and a member of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Otter Specialty Group. Her research on the welfare of captive and wild otter populations in the Pacific Northwest, including her longitudinal study of Whidbey Island's otters, has been published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. She splits her time between a cabin on Whidbey Island and a farm in McMinnville, Oregon, with her husband, Tom, and their dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, and honeybees.