Lutrogale

Lutrogale is a genus of otter containing a single living species, the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), a freshwater otter of South and Southeast Asia with a disjunct population in Iraq, named for its relatively smooth, shorter fur compared with other otter species. It occurs in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, and the Indonesian islands of Borneo, Sumatra, and Java, along with the isolated Iraqi marsh population, and is divided into three recognized subspecies. It is a relatively large otter, weighing 7 to 11 kilograms and measuring 59 to 64 centimeters in head and body length, with dark brown to reddish brown fur, a lighter underside, a rounded head with a diamond shaped hairless nose, a flattened tail, and large webbed feet with sharp claws suited to handling slippery prey. The species has been classified as vulnerable since 1996 due to habitat loss, wetland pollution, and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade.