Highest Explore Position #494 ~ On October 28th 2008.

Smooth-coated Otter - Rare Species Conservation Centre, Kent, England - Sunday October 12th 2008. Click here to see the Larger image

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ~ The Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) is a species of otter, the only extant representative of the genus Lutrogale. The species is found from India east to Southeast Asia, and there is a disjunct population in Iraq. As its name indicates, the fur of this species is smoother and shorter than that of other otters.

Distribution and Habitat ~ Smooth-coated otters occur throughout much of southern Asia, in the Indomalaya ecozone, from India eastward. There is also an isolated population of the species found in the marshes of Iraq. Smooth-coated otters are found in areas where water is plentiful- peat swamp forests, freshwater wetlands, large forested rivers, lakes, and rice paddies. Smooth-coated otters have adapted to life in an aqueous biome, but are nonetheless comfortable on land, and may travel long distances overland in search of suitable habitat. Their holts are within shallow burrows, rock heaps or driftwood piles. Some may construct permanent holts near water, in a layout similar to the of a beaver dam, with an underwater entrance and a tunnel that leads to a nest above the water.

Conservation Status ~ The Smooth-coated Otter is listed as a vulnerable species. The range and population of smooth-coated otters is shrinking due to loss of wetland habitat, poaching, and contamination of waterways by pesticides. Smooth-coated otters are protected in India under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and are listed as endangered.

Description ~ Smooth-coated otters are the largest otters in southeast Asia, from 7-11 kg in weight and up to 1.3 m in length as adults. Smooth-coated otters may be distinguished from other species of otter by a more rounded head and a hairless nose in the shape of a distorted diamond. The tail is flattened, in contrast to the more rounded tails of other species, and may be up to 60 percent of the total body length. Like other otters, smooth-coated otters have webbed toes and strong paws with sharp claws.

The coat of smooth-coated otters is shorter and smoother than that of other otters species. The fur is light to dark brown along the back, while the underside is light brown to almost gray in color. Behavior ~ Smooth-coated otters, like many carnivorous mammals, use scent to communicate both within the otter species, and with other animals. Each otter possesses a pair of scent glands at the base of the tail which are uses to mark land or objects, such as rocks or vegetation, near feeding areas in a behavior called sprainting.

Diet ~ Smooth-coated otters eat insects, earthworms, crustaceans, frogs, water rats, turtles, birds, and fish. Fish comprise between 75 to 100% of the otter's diet.[citation needed] Smooth-coated otters frequently hunt in groups, herding schools of fish together for easier feeding.[citation needed] A group of otters can have a feeding range of 7 to 12 square kilometers. A single adult consumes about 1 kg of food per day in captivity.