It’s been 100 years since a river otter showed up in Ridley Creek.

Now one has appeared in a selfie taken by a game camera at the Ridley Creek watershed in Chester County, planted by the Newtown Square-based Willistown Conservation Trust.

The otter posed last December, exploring its surroundings for 45 minutes before disappearing into the darkness, writes Frank Kummer and Kevin Riordan for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Its appearance signifies a return of an animal nearly killed off in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

“We haven’t caught much else by way of footage, but a homeowner has reported seeing it swim in their pond just few weeks ago, which is a good sign that it’s hanging out in the area,” said Lauren McGrath, director of the watershed protection program for the Willistown Conservation Trust..

The otter was on private land near the Kirkwood Farm in Willistown. The trust had just bought 90 acres of the farm in January from filmmaker M.Night Shyamalan.  

The American river otter was along Okenhocking Run, a tributary to Ridley Creek.

Trust officials say cleaner waterways and nearby preservation efforts have provided a new, safe habitat for the otters.

Read more about river otters and their comeback in The Philadelphia Inquirer.