Smooth-coated Otter

Fascinating facts about the Smooth-coated Otter

• The smooth-coated otter stands alone as the sole surviving member of its own genus, Lutrogale, making it the only living species classified under that name. This status arose when John Edward Gray created the genus in 1865 for otters with a more convex forehead and nose, designating perspicillata as the type. No other extant otter shares this taxonomic grouping, highlighting its distinct evolutionary lineage within the otter family.
• Singapore is home to a notable urban population of hybrid otters, with at least sixty individuals recorded in the city. These hybrids stem from past interbreeding between smooth-coated otter males and Asian small-clawed otter females, a genetic exchange first documented in Singapore. The hybrid group is now well-protected, its numbers are steadily increasing, and families such as the Bishan otter family have become common sights attracting media attention.
• The largest wild-born litter ever recorded for smooth-coated otters comprised seven pups, observed in Singapore in November 2017. Normally, the species produces litters of up to five young after a gestation of 60 to 63 days, with pups born blind and helpless. The exceptional seven-pup litter demonstrates that, when conditions allow, the otters can exceed their typical reproductive output, though such large litters remain rare.
• The smooth-coated otter is a relatively large otter, with adults weighing from 7 to 11 kg. Individuals measure around 59 to 64 cm in head-body length, and their flattened tails add another 37 to 43 cm.
• When smooth-coated otters coexist with other otter species, they prefer larger fish, typically between 5 and 30 cm long. Their diet otherwise includes fish, rats, snakes, amphibians and insects.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Smooth-coated Otter

In the warm, languid waters of its native habitats, the smooth-coated otter glides with effortless elegance, its sleek, dark fur rippling like the shadows on the riverbed as it pursues its prey with stealthy precision. With a sinuous, almost serpentine motion, it navigates the aquatic realm, its webbed feet and powerful tail propelling it through the currents with a fluidity that belies its remarkable agility and speed. As it emerges into the sunlight, its large, dark eyes shine with a piercing intelligence, a testament to the cunning and adaptability that has allowed this vulnerable species to thrive in a fragile, ever-changing world.

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