spraints

“Some decades ago a Sacramento State graduate student named William Grenfell examined otter droppings-the British call them "spraints" - in Suisun Marsh for his master's thesis.”

The Berkeley Daily Planet, The East Bay's Independent Newspaper

“Here and there on the boardwalk, otter spraints tell of another blessing presence along the trout-and-minnow-rich river.”

The Guardian: Country diary: Tregaron, Ceredigon

“Otters are taken in an unbaited trap, for they reject every kind of bait, This trap must be placed near his landing place, which will be found by carefully examining the edges of rivers or ponds, either by his spraints, his seal, or the remains of fish (for in whatever place he eats his plunder he always leaves the tail or hinder parts of the fish undevoured).”

Practical Taxidermy A manual of instruction to the amateur in collecting, preserving, and setting up natural history specimens of all kinds. To which is added a chapter upon the pictorial arrangement of museums. With additional instructions in modelling and artistic taxidermy.

“Experts also look for spraints, which the animal leaves on prominent tufts and stones to mark its territory.”

Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph

“Mundy Ellis has recorded and photographed the doings of otters at South Walsham in the Norfolk Broads day by day as they lollop around the boathouse, steal cat food from the garden and leave telltale droppings or spraints - "dark but sparkling with fish scales" - on the tin roof.”

Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph

“We show our detectives how studying their spraints, or oily droppings, can tell us the kind of fish they've been eating, and therefore whether it's a coastal or freshwater otter that produced them.”

Telegraph.co.uk: news business sport the Daily Telegraph newspaper Sunday Telegraph

“FYI: the correct term for otter ‘droppings’ is ’spraints’.”

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