The smooth-coated otter is the largest otter species of South and Southeast Asia, named for its short, sleek fur that lies flatter than that of other otters. It lives along rivers, lakes, and mangrove coasts from Iraq and India across to Indonesia, hunting fish in coordinated family groups that can include a dozen or more individuals. Habitat loss, wetland drainage, and the illegal pet trade have made it Vulnerable, and it is one of the few otter species known to fish cooperatively alongside human fishers in parts of India and Bangladesh.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Living or Extinct Comparison
CITES Appendix CITES Appendix Scientific NameLutrogale perspicillata 2 Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Smooth-coated otter (Wikidata)
In Biome
Source Smooth-coated otter (Wikidata)
In Ecosystem
Source Wikidata: Smooth-coated Otter
Additional Source Mesopotamian Marshes (Wikipedia)Article text
Source Wikidata: Tiger
Additional Source Sundarbans (Wikipedia)Article text
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014)
2. Smooth-coated otter (Wikidata)
Wikidata- Wikidata Q754737 (P225 taxon name)
Statements section, habitat (P2974): Terrestrial
Wikidata habitat statement (P2974) resolves to a terrestrial habitat type.
Statements section, conservation status (P141)
IUCN Red List conservation status (Wikidata property P141): vulnerable.
- Child Taxon Of: Mustelidae, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chain
- In Biome: Wetlands, Introduction
View the Source 3. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Lutrogale perspicillata (Animal Diversity Web)
Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyConservation Status: CITES
CITES Appendix II
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive (hunted-fished)
Like other otters, smooth-coated otters are trapped for fur
View the Source 4. Smooth-coated otter
5. Wikipedia: Smooth-coated Otter
WikipediaIntroductionQuote, Introduction
It has been ranked as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996, as it is threatened by habitat loss, pollution of wetlands and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade.
Sundarbans (Wikipedia)
In Ecosystem: Sundarbans, Article textQuote, In Ecosystem: Sundarbans, Article text
There are other threatened mammal species, such as the capped langur (Semnopithecus pileatus), smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea) and large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha).
Mesopotamian Marshes (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIn Ecosystem: Mesopotamian Marshes, Article textQuote, In Ecosystem: Mesopotamian Marshes, Article text
Considerable confusion has existed relating to the status of the Eurasian otter and the endemic maxwelli subspecies of the smooth-coated otter in the region, but recent surveys have confirmed that both still survive.
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