WILDLIFE OF WELCH RIVERS
Brown Trout are fish, which are silver and brown with red spots on their sides. They live in clean, fast-flowing rivers and over many years can grow up to 70 cms long. They have lots of small teeth to catch hold of minibeasts but they swallow their food whole. They do not chew it. They like eating mayflies when the nymphs are 'hatching' into adults on the surface of the water. Although most trout die within weeks of hatching, a few live for up to ten years. A female trout lays about 1,500 eggs in a hole she digs in clean gravel on the bottom of the stream where there is lots of oxygen in the water.
	The Dipper is a chocolate brown bird with a bright white bib. It grows to 18 cms in length. We are very lucky to see lots in Snowdonia.Dippers are found in rocky, fast-flowing streams. They stand on large rocks or boulders in the fast-flowing stream to look out for food. Then they swim or walk under the water to catch minibeasts and small fish.They build their nests out of moss under waterfalls, banks or bridges. The eggs hatch after about 15 days and the young birds fly at three weeks but they can swim earlier.
The otter is a large, slim, flat-headed animal, which grows up to 1.3 metres long. It swims and dives well, with its strong, short legs and webbed feet. It can stay under water for a minute or so. It eats fish, eels and frogs and needs clean water to live in. The otter is a mammal. To keep warm under water it has two layers of fur. The outside layer is long and keeps the water out. The inside layer of fine fur traps air for insulation. Otters groom their fur to keep it waterproof. Otters rest in the day in thick bushes. They raise two or three cubs in a holt, which is usually a hollow in a river bank under tree roots. They do not like to be disturbed by people. You will be very lucky if you see one in the wild, but there are several in Snowdonia.