2026 Otter Games Results!
1,116 amazing species were documented in iNaturalist by the Otter Games teams, including some rare species of insects. The winning teams are:
2026 Most Species: Meadowhawks
The Meadowhawks documented 528 species! A big focus on insects really boosted their species count.
2026 Research Grade: Weed Whackers
The Whackers had 680 research grade observations and probably pulled up invasive Ardisia along the way. They squeaked to the lead with just 5 more species than the runner up!
2026 Otter Spotter: ROMP (River Otter Monitoring Project)
Team ROMP had 4 observations of live otters! The Weed Whackers saw otter prints, but alas, no animals.
The Otter Games
CNC 2026 Baton Rouge Region Team Contest
Join us in a team challenge for some local competition and a fun outlet for participants to feed their creativity and motivation while making observations and increasing our observation quality and species count in the 2026 City Nature Challenge: Baton Rouge Region.
This contest is modeled after the CNC Team Tournament created by the 2025 City Nature Challenge national champions, San Antonio, Texas - an inspiration to us all for environmental outreach and citizen science.
All nature enthusiasts, ages 13 and up, are welcome to join the Otter Games during the global City Nature Challenge, April 24-27, 2026.
Gather your team, register, and start making observations during the City Nature Challenge - it's easy! Free! Registration Form: Form is closed.
How to Participate:
Register a team with 1-5 players and a cool nature name, like the Rattlesnake Masters. Or sign up as a Free Agent to be assigned to a team and meet new friends.
Take photos and/or sound recordings of wild organisms during the contest period, April 24-27, 2026.
Upload your photos and/or sound recordings of wild organisms taken April 24-27, 2026 as observations in the iNaturalist app or iNaturalist.org website before midnight May 8, 2026.
Watch your progress in your team’s iNaturalist project and the iNaturalist Otter Games umbrella project which will be created after teams register.
Summary of Dates
Registration closes 11:59 p.m. CST April 22
The contest photo-taking period starts 12:01am Friday, April 24 and ends at 11:59pm Monday, April 27.
Optional: Identification period and extra time to upload your observations April 28 through May 8.
The contest ends at midnight May 8.
Final results will be announced on or before May 11.
Tips:
Strategize methods, habitats, time of day, and locations to find a variety of species.
Strategize whether to split up or not while making observations.
Quality photos and recordings that are cropped and in-focus will improve identification results.
Including multiple photos of your organism from different angles will improve identification results.
Different species are active at different times of day and night.
Note that the City Nature Challenge is not just on the weekend - it runs 4 days and 4 nights!
The Otter Games and the Baton Rouge Region City Nature Challenge are organized by the Louisiana Master Naturalists of Greater Baton Rouge. Contact Amber King at with questions or tag @amberenergy in iNaturalist.