Otter grabs and kills an unsuspecting DUCK for its dinner in Cumbrian river 

Startling images have captured an otter catching and killing an unsuspecting duck for its dinner in a river.

The carnivorous mammal was on the River Kent in Cumbria when it pounced on the defenceless mallard duck. 

It was seen tightly clamping its jaw around the neck of its prey before swimming away with the lifeless duck clasped between its teeth.

While otters are known to eat ducks, it is a rare sight – with their diets usually consisting of fish, frogs and small birds.

Local wildlife photographer Edward Wilkinson watched the horrifying scene unfold from a nearby river bank.

He said witnessing the lifeless duck hanging from the otter’s mouth was ‘unbelievable’.

Mr Wilkinson, 58, said: ‘I presume it is natural for the otter but I’ve never seen anything quite like it in terms of size.

‘I’ve seen one taking on a salmon before now but never a duck like that.

‘The whole thing went on for about five minutes and was pretty unbelievable.

‘I was well-placed nearby and am really happy with how the pictures turned out.’

Otters are among the most-protected creatures in the UK.

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, they cannot be killed, kept or sold – even stuffed specimens – except under licence.

In recent years there have been repeated calls from fishery owners to be allowed to deal with otters that target their stock of prized fish.  

Otters usually eat fish, eels, frogs, eggs and small birds and are also known to eat small mammals such as mice.

But they are opportunists, and are known to capture bigger creatures such as ducks.

The sort of prey they catch depends on how quickly they move.

Slow-swimming fish tend to be more favoured over quicker animals such as trout or salmon.

They are also known to eat snails, crabs, and worms.

Sea otters’ teeth are better-adapted to crushing shells while Eurasian otters  – the only kind found in the wild – have gnashes more-suited for slicing through fish.