Webinar

Learn to Draw River Otters

November 2023

Join scientific illustrator Dr. Julius Csotonyi in an online art lesson where we’ll learn how to draw a very clever and resourceful being: the river otter!

Not only will we be making art, but we’ll also get to learn all about these incredibly gifted swimmers. This includes the important role they play in connecting land and water ecosystems.

Explore resources from the art lesson

Fact update: In the webinar, it was said that sea otters can hold their breath longer than river otters. The reverse is actually true! Sea otters can hold their breath for 5 minutes and river otters can hold their breath up to 8 minutes.
Fact update: In the webinar, it was said that river otters walk digitigrade, meaning they walk on their toes like cats and dogs. While members of the weasel family (to which river otters belong) can walk either digitigrade or plantigrade, river otters most often walk plantigrade. This means that they walk on the soles of their feet like humans do.
Send your artwork to your local representative to help care for river otters and the ecosystems they rely on. You can find your local representative here.
Learn how to say otter in the language of the Indigenous community on whose territory you live.
Learn more about our education program.

Did You Know?

B.C. is the most biodiverse province in Canada but doesn’t have a provincial law to protect endangered species or their habitats. Let’s change that.

take action for biodiversity today

Meet the Speakers

Dr. Julius Csotonyi

Dr. Julius Csotonyi is a scientific illustrator and natural history fine artist. He has a scientific background in ecology (MSc) and microbiology (PhD) which has taken him to study sensitive ecosystems, from sand dunes in the Rocky Mountain parks to hydrothermal vents at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

These experiences have fuelled a strong resolve to work toward preserving the earth’s biota. Painting biological subjects is one means that he uses to both enhance public awareness of biological diversity and to motivate concern for its welfare.

He paints murals and panels that have appeared in numerous museums (e.g. the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History), press release images for scientific publications, books, stamp sets (e.g. the 2018 “Sharks of Canada” set for Canada Post), and coins for the Royal Canadian Mint. His work is viewable on his online gallery, http://csotonyi.com