Asian small-clawed otters

😟 Vulnerable 😟

These otters have dark brown fur above and lighter fur below, often with gray, white, or cream-colored markings on the face and throat. They have webbed feet, and true to their name, their claws do not extend beyond their digital pads.

Asian small-clawed otters are found in southern India, southern China, Southeast Asia, Indonesia and the Philippines. These otters live in small streams, rivers, marshes, rice paddies, seacoasts and in mangroves. They share their habitat with three other species of otter: Eurasian, smooth coated and hairy nosed.

Asian small-clawed otters are a very vocal species and have a vocabulary of at least twelve different vocalizations. Vocalizations are used for contact, summons, greeting, threat and alarm calls and can occur visually, chemically, or through tactile cues such as social grooming, hormonal changes and posturing. These otters also use scent markings as an important form of communication.

In the wild the otters eat primarily crustaceans and mollusks but will also eat fish, insects, amphibians and reptiles. Asian small-clawed otters use their forepaws rather than their mouth to locate and capture food items. Incomplete webbing between the toes gives them a great deal of manual dexterity. They have sensitive digital pads that help them feel under rocks or in murky water for food. They dig in sand and mud at the shoreline for various types of shellfish (clams and mussels) and crabs. To get at the meat, they either crush the shell by hand or let heat from the sun open the shells. Their teeth are broad and robust, well suited for crushing shells. With a very rapid metabolism, otters have boundless energy, but a meal passes through their system in just a few hours.

This is a social species, living in family groups of up to 15 to 20 individuals. Although they live in groups, they hunt by themselves.

Asian small-clawed otters live up to 12 years in human care, with some individuals living longer than 20 years. Lifespan in the wild is unknown.