Open 361 Days a Year: Admissions 10:00am – 3:30pm; park closes at 4:30pm
The WNC Nature Center is open! Visitors will need to alter their typical route to accommodate for the loss of the Gashes Creek Bridge. Learn more at www.wildwnc.org/plan-your-visit.
Lontra canadensis
Appearance: From their webbed feet to their rudder-like tails and extra eyelids that act as goggles, river otters are well-adapted for a life in the water. Typical adults have long, muscular bodies measuring three to four feet long; about a third of that length is their tails.
Range: River otters can be found in a variety of freshwater habitats including streams, rivers, lakes, ponds, and marshes. Their dens are often dug into the bank of a stream, or they may utilize an old beaver lodge, muskrat house, or even a hollow tree. While they have few natural predators, trapping, habitat destruction, and water quality remain their largest threat. Otters were brought back from the brink of extinction in the state of North Carolina. Reintroduction programs and improvement of water quality has led to this success.
Diet: River otters eat fish and crayfish and can also eat mollusks, crabs, amphibians, rodents, birds, eggs, and reptiles.
Date of Birth: March 2009
Obi-Wan was born at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium in Pennsylvania. He came to the WNC Nature Center in January 2010. Obi-Wan’s name was chosen through a contest at the WNC Nature Center in 2010.
Generally shy and reclusive animals, black bears avoid human contact and are not normally aggressive. Two black bears, Uno and Ursa, live at the Nature Center.
Similar to the Nigerian dwarf goat, the American pygmy is a small goat that only reaches 1-2 feet in height. They vary widely in coloration including white, tan, caramel, gray, and black.
Red wolves are highly endangered species that has been eliminated from almost all of its natural range. Our breeding pair of red wolves, Oak and Gloria, are part of the AZA Species Survival Plan.
River otters are masterful in the water and often show a playful side!
WNC Nature Center
75 Gashes Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28805
Getting Here
General Inquiries
828-259-8080
[email protected]
Friends of the
WNC Nature Center
PO Box 19151
Asheville, NC 28815
828-259-8092
See what’s new at the zoo
with monthly updates!
©2019 Friends of the WNC Nature Center | All rights reserved
Website design by BECK Digital