This species attains reproductive maturity when they are 22 months old. Instead, their fur keeps them warm. [1], Along the Chambal River in India, smooth-coated otters are most vulnerable during winter when they rear young. The otters showed a variety of rock juggling behaviors, sometimes engaging in the activity on land. Currently this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing. But Asian small-clawed otters, a … Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) Between 1980 and 2015, 2,949 otter pelts were seized in India. This species is unusually social and mostly nocturnal. They formed an undulating, slightly V-shaped line, pointing in the direction of movement and nearly as wide as the creek. Hybridisation of smooth-coated otter males with Asian small-clawed otter females occurred in Singapore. The father is permitted to join the group once the pups are weaned, whereupon he helps provide food for them. Gestation lasts 60-62 days, and one to five young are born and raised in a shelter or burrow near water, which the otters excavate, or they take over an abandoned one. No estimate of population size is available for Oriental small-clawed otters. [25], Smooth-coated otter in Kabini River, India, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, "Revision of the Genera and Species of Mustelidae contained in the British Museum", "Notes on some British Indian otters, with descriptions of two new subspecies", "The Status of the Iraq Smooth-coated Otter, "Phylogeography of the smooth-coated otter (, "Key Biodiversity Survey of Southern Iraq: 2009 Site Review", "Fishing with Otters: a Traditional Conservation Practice in Bangladesh", "Some observations on otters at Kuala Gula, Perak and National Park, Pahang", "Aspects of Preying Behaviour of Smooth Coated Otters, "Observations of the Variation in Group Structure of two Urban Smooth-Coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata Groups in the Central Watershed of Singapore", "The urban Smooth‐coated otters Lutrogale perspicillata of Singapore: a review of the reasons for success", "Seizure Of Live Otters In Bangkok Airport, Thailand", "CITES CoP 2019: Otters given highest protection from trade", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smooth-coated_otter&oldid=992433655, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 5 December 2020, at 06:57. They mark their playground by urinating and sprainting on rocks or vegetation. The two otter species — smooth-coated otters, known to hunt fish cooperatively in the wild, and Asian short-clawed otters, which feed individually on … Copulation occurs in water and lasts less than one minute. Though Singapore's landscape has rapidly urbanised over the past 50 years, the highly adaptable smooth-coated otter continues to exist and perhaps even thrive here, as sightings of it have increased over the last decade 12. Compared to other otter species, the Asian small-clawed otter spends more time on land than in the water. [1], It occurs in areas where fresh water is plentiful — wetlands and seasonal swamps, rivers, lakes, and rice paddies. Its tail is flattened, in contrast to the more rounded tails of other otters. Today, a population of at least 60 hybrid otters exists in Singapore. The Smooth-coated otter lives in southern and Southeast Asia, China, and India, and in Iraq there is a small population. … Snakes, amphibians and insects constitute a small portion of their diet. Otters are the only known marine animals with no blubber. In India, Pakistan and Bangladesh fishermen will train these cooperative animals to drive the fish into their nets. [10], The population in the Mesopotamian Marshes was feared to have perished, but otter tracks were found in 2009, suggesting the population may have survived. Trapping of otters is prevalent in India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. (Asian small-clawed otters), and Lutrogale perspicillata (smooth-coated otters). This week’s decision by CITES parties to list both small-clawed and smooth-coated otters on Appendix I means that all international commercial trade in both species is now illegal. [3] In Nepal, seizures of otter pelts summed up to 755 within the period 1989-2017iii. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several zoological specimens were described: Most of their foraging activity is in water. There are two species of otters here - the smooth-coated and the small-clawed otters. They are … Small-clawed otters and to a lesser extent the three other otter species found in Southeast Asia—the Eurasian otter, the smooth-coated otter, and the hairy-nosed otter… At one year old, young often disperse to find a home range of their own. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several zoological specimens were described, including: The smooth-coated otter is the only living species in the genus Lutrogale. ... North American, spot-necked, smooth, and marine otters in North American zoological facilities mate during winter and spring. Unlike the Eurasian Otter its front feet are only partially webbed, but it has short claws for digging in the mud and lifting rocks. Family groups which include the breeding pair with up to four young born in previous seasons may nest and hunt together within a territory measuring 7 – 12 km². Oriental short-clawed otters have been hunted for their dense, velvety pelts, which like those of all otters, are dense with a velvety texture. They are the largest species of Southeast Asian otter, with adults growing to about four feet in length and weigh 15-25lbs. Lutra perspicillata was the scientific name proposed by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire in 1826 for a brown otter collected in Sumatra. [18] They share their habitat with three other species of otter: Eurasian, smooth coated … Its legs are short and strong, with large webbed feet bearing strong claws. An isolated population is also found in the marshes of Iraq. They may either construct such a burrow themselves, or they may take over an abandoned one. The odour is secreted from scent glands in … Smooth-Coated Otter Wikipedia article -, 2. They rest on sandy riverbanks and establish their dens under tree roots or among boulders. gaps under buildings) as alternatives for their holts, and learnt to use man-made structures such as staircases and ladders to get in and out of concrete canals with vertical or near‐vertical banks. By 2011, this fishing technique was used by about 300 fishermen, with an additional 2,000 people indirectly dependent on the technique for their livelihood. [12], The smooth-coated otter lives in groups of up to 11 individuals. Asian small-clawed and smooth-coated otters were included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) at the ongoing 18 th Conference of Parties (CoP) in Geneva on August 26, 2019.. It had been listed on CITES Appendix II since 1977. Asian Small-clawed Otters occur along the southern boundary of China. These factors lead to a reduced prey base. The smooth-coated otters were residents in the Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve in 1998, and the small … Asian small-clawed otters are found in southern India, southern China, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines. LENGTH. Females have two pairs of teats.[2]. Large-scale hydroelectric projects and land clearance for agriculture and settlement have had a major impact on this otter, as has habitat degradation due to water pollution from fertilizers and pesticides. These otters form strong monogamous bonds. Previously, smooth-coated otters were mostly sighted in the mangroves, mudflats and coastal areas such as Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Pasir Ris, … It is distinguished from other otter species by its more rounded head and a hairless nose in the shape of a distorted diamond. When they fish, they travel upstream in a V-formation. Despite a diverse habitat preference, a major threat to this species’ survival is the loss of habitat suitable for them. The proposal to list the otters was floated by Bangladesh, India, Nepal and the Philippines. Sea otters breed throughout the year. However, typically they are in the water more than half of the day. The largest individuals occupied the middle section. This animal’s front legs are shorter than its rear legs, which helps with swimming, and its thick, conical tail is more flattened than in other otters, especially at the end. The Smooth-Coated Otter is generally brown dorsally, with a lighter underside and throat. Lutrogale was proposed as generic name by John Edward Gray in 1865 for otters with a convex forehead and nose, using perspicillata as type species. The levels of international trade are little known for either the Small-clawed Otter or the Smooth-coated Otter, but research undertaken by TRAFFIC in collaboration with the IUCN Otter Specialist Group and other partners has found both species severely impacted by illegal trade in several Asian markets. 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