Metal and metalloid concentrations in the livers of Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) from England and Wales

Dataset includes dry weight concentrations of 18 toxic, essential and trace elements quantified in the livers of otters that have been found dead in England and Wales between 2007 and 2009 inclusive. For each otter the month and year found, age, sex, body condition coefficient and location where the otter was found are given. Most elements were measured in 157 samples that came from the years 2007 to 2009. Residues of Pb were only measured in 107 samples from 2007 and 2008. 17 livers from 2009 were analysed for Ag. The data are used to quantify the magnitude of exposure to these elements in otters in relation to studies from across Europe and the likely toxicological significance of the residues found. This work has been carried out within the monitoring programme of the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS) (https://pbms.ceh.ac.uk ), a long-term, national monitoring scheme that quantifies the concentrations of contaminants in the livers and eggs of selected species of predatory and fish-eating birds in Britain. The PBMS monitors the levels of contaminants to determine how and why they vary between species and regions, how they are changing over time, and the effects that they may have on individual birds and on their populations. The Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme is run by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH). This work was carried out in collaboration with the Cardiff University Otter Project. Full details about this dataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/2effc7c4-82c8-4000-af8d-fdf82b1c3192