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Smooth Otter
Lutra/Lutrogale perspicillata
Indian Smooth Otter, Smooth Coated Otter, Lutra tarayensis, Memeran Licin (Malay)


The stars of the park, a Smooth Otter sighting really makes your day, even if it's just a little peek!
Mangrove and wetland wildlife at
Sungei Buloh Nature Park
Main features: Main features: Head to body 65-79cm, tail 40-50cm, whole length 1-1.3m, weight 7-11kg. Large, strong thick feet with well developed webbing and strong claws. Males are larger.

Status in Singapore: Rare in Singapore but common elsewhere.

World distribution: Throughout southern Asia, India and China through Southeast Asia to Indonesia. There is an isolated population in Iraq.

Classification: Family Mustalidae; genus Lutra, subgenus Lutrogale. The genus Lutra or River Otters include the better known Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra.
Smooth Otters are the largest otters in Southeast Asia. They are named for their shorter, smoother coats which appears velvety and shining. Like other otters, they have shorter tightly packed underfur and longer guard hairs which are water repellant.

Photo from Charles Francis
Unlike seals, which are insulated by a thick layer of fat, otters are very lean and it is their fur that keeps them warm, and provides a streamlined surface. Smooth Otters are distinguished from other otters by their rounder heads with prominent naked noses, and more flattened tails.
Smooth Otters like to eat fish but they eat whatever is plentiful and easy to catch. Prey include crustacea, frogs, water rats, turtles and even large birds. They may hunt as a family group, using teamwork to catch their prey. A group usually have a feeding territory of 7-12 sq. km and they hunt both during the day and at night.
Otters belong to the
family Mustalidae
which includes weasels, badgers and skunks.
The family comprises
the smallest of
mammal carnivores.
smooth otters (seeking permission to use)
Photo from
Peter Ng and N Sivasothi
 Like other otters, Smooth Otters are excellent divers and swimmers. They close their ears and nostrils when underwater. When swimming slowly, they paddle with their strongly webbed front and back paws. When swimming quickly, the front limbs are kept close to the body while back legs and the flattened tail propels them. Their tails are powerful and long (can make up 60% of their body length). They can swim for long distances and stay underwater for 6-8 minutes with a single breath. Smooth Otters catch their prey in their mouths, but their paws are dextrous and they use them to retrieve and manipulate objects. They have large strong claws. With their whiskers, they sense water movements and thus find prey even in murky water. Strong molars are used to crush crustacea and molluscs.
Like other otters, their front feet are shorter than their hind feet. Otters have five toes; thus you can distinguish otter prints on the sand from those of dogs' which have only four toes.

Like other social animals, Smooth Otters have developed complex communication involving mainly smell, but also calls. Otters have a distinctive heavy, musky smell. They have a pair of scent glands at the base of the tail which they use to mark vegetation. Their scent marks their territorial boundaries and tells other otters about who they are and whether they are ready to breed. Smooth Otters in a group use the same communal latrines (spraints), which is often the first sign that they have set up home in the area. Their alarm call is a whistle, and when excited they make short yelping barks.

Otters are very playful and are among the few mammals that play even as adults. Play helps youngsters develop co-ordination, and strengthens bonds within the group.

Smooth Otters are mostly found in the lowlands, in mangroves, freshwater wetlands, large forested rivers. Although adapted for water, Smooth Otters are equally comfortable on land and can travel long distances overland in search of suitable habitats. They may shelter for a while in shallow burrows, piles of rocks or driftwood. Some may build a permanent burrow near water, with an underwater entrance, but the tunnel eventually leads to a chamber above the highwater line.

Breeding: Smooth Otters form strong monogamous pairs. Although the male is larger, it is the female that dominates the group. In areas with good weather and food supply, they breed year round. The gestation period is 63-65 days. Smooth Otters give birth to and raise their young in a burrow or shelter near water. Usually 1-2 cubs are born in a litter. Cubs are born blind and helpless, and develop slowly. They only open their eyes at 1 month, and start to swim at 2 months. They continue to suckle for 3-4 months and only leave the family at about 1 year old. They reach breeding age at 2-3 years. Unlike other River Otters where the female raises the young alone and excludes the male, Smooth Otters form small family groups of a mated pair with up to 4 offspring from previous seasons.

Role in the habitat: Smooth Otters control the population of their prey. In turn, they are food for larger predators higher up in the food chain.

Status and threats: CITES II. Smooth Otters appear to be the most common otter throughout most of their range. But Smooth Otters are shy and hard to spot and study. Fishermen in India and Bangladesh train Smooth Otters to herd fish into nets. In Pakistan, they are trained to attract dolphins. Like other wetland creatures, Smooth Otters are threatened by habitat loss and pollution.

 LINKS

REFERENCES
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Nature's Niche

  • Peter K L Ng and N Sivasothi, "A Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore II: Animal Diversity", Singapore Science Centre, 1999 (p. 158: description, habits, habitat, photos).
  • Budsabong Kanchanaskha, Saksit Simcharoen, U Tin Than, "Carnivores of Mainland Southeast Asia", World Wildlife Foundation, 1998 (p.80-82: detailed description, habit, habitat, distribution, drawing and distribution map).
  • Ronald M Nowak, "Walker's Mammals of the World", Johns Hopkins University Press, 5th edition, 1991 (p. 1135-1137: general facts about the genus Lutra (River Otters) with some details about Smooth Otters).
  • K K Gurung and Raj Singh, "Field Guide to the Mammals of the Indian Subcontinent", Academic Press, 1996 (p. 20: fact sheet on the Smooth Otter with a diagram. Covers all major aspects).
  • Charles M Francis, "A Photographic Guide to the Mammals of South-East Asia", New Holland, 2001 (p.73: fact sheet, photo).
  • Bobby Tulloch, "Otters", Colin Baxter Photography Ltd., 1994 (facts and photos about the European Otter Lutra lutra).
 
By Ria Tan, 2001