Wildlifeof India
Asian Small-clawed Otter
Bears, Dogs, Otters & Red Panda
Photo: Hamas Fathani · CC-BY-SA (May be cropped or resized)
Lutra cinerea
Basic stats
Diet
Crabs, mudskippers and fish; also snakes, frogs, insects and rats
Habitat
Shallow hill streams, marshes, mangroves, rice fields and coasts
Range
India to Southeast Asia; in India West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, coastal Odisha, Karnataka and the Nilgiri and Palni hills
Litter size
1–7 pups
Gestation period
62–86 days
Size
Head and body 47–61cm; tail 26–35cm
Weight
Captive adults 2.7–3.5kg
The Asian small-clawed otter is the smallest otter in the world. It has deep brown fur with a rufous tinge on the back, paler below, and whitish cheeks, lips, chin and throat. The claws are short and almost erect, and do not extend beyond the pads of the webbed feet. The tail is thick, muscular and more than half the body length. Head and body length is 47–61 cm (Wikipedia, general species account).
In India it is found in West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, on the Odisha coast, and in Karnataka and the Nilgiri and Palni hills, where it lives in shallow creeks up to 2,000 m. Threats named in India are forest clearance for tea and coffee, overfishing and pesticide pollution. It is mostly active after dark and lives in groups of up to 15, and its main foods are crabs, mudskippers and small fish. Captive pairs are monogamous (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Asian Small-clawed Otter eat?
- Crabs, mudskippers and fish; also snakes, frogs, insects and rats
- What habitat does the Asian Small-clawed Otter live in?
- Shallow hill streams, marshes, mangroves, rice fields and coasts
- Where is the Asian Small-clawed Otter found?
- India to Southeast Asia; in India West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, coastal Odisha, Karnataka and the Nilgiri and Palni hills
- What is the litter size of the Asian Small-clawed Otter?
- 1–7 pups
- How long is the gestation period of the Asian Small-clawed Otter?
- 62–86 days
- How big is the Asian Small-clawed Otter?
- Head and body 47–61cm; tail 26–35cm
- How much does the Asian Small-clawed Otter weigh?
- Captive adults 2.7–3.5kg