Eastern Dwarf Otter: Characteristics, Behavior And Habitat
The eastern dwarf otter, also known as the Indian otter ( Amblonyx cinerea ), is a southern Asian mammal known to be the smallest otter in existence. This charismatic animal lives in some of the most remote waters on the planet and yet is threatened by illegal trafficking.
Eastern Dwarf Otter Characteristics
The eastern dwarf otter is obviously small. It barely exceeds 100 centimeters, of which a third is the tail. Its weight can vary between one and five kilos, something that differs from the weight of other species, such as the giant otter, which can weigh more than 40 kilos and measure almost two meters.
Like other otters, this mustelid has brown and gray fur divided into two types: a shorter and a longer one, in an ideal configuration for an aquatic animal.
The eastern dwarf otter has short nails that allow great manual dexterity, which means it can handle crustaceans and molluscs with ease.
Otters usually catch their prey in their mouths, but this animal prefers crabs and other animals to fish. Therefore, it often grabs its prey.
Behavior
The eastern dwarf otter is a diurnal animal that spends most of the day swimming and grooming its coat. She is an excellent swimmer and can spend up to eight minutes underwater. The eastern dwarf otter lives in groups of about 12 individuals and is a very sociable and intelligent animal, easy to train in zoos to improve its well-being.
As already mentioned, otters feed mainly on crustaceans and molluscs, in addition to fish. To hunt, they use their vibrissae to detect their underwater prey, which they manually capture after digging them up from the bottom.
Interestingly, dwarf otters are examples of monogamy in the animal kingdom, forming pairs for life. After a gestation of two months, these animals have litters of up to six pups that will live between 10 and 15 years.
A typical behavior of this species is to rub against logs and vegetation near river beds to mark them with their smell, something important they also do with their feces.
Eastern Dwarf Otter Habitat
The dwarf otter inhabits mangroves and wetlands in South Asia. Specifically, the dwarf otter can be found in southern India, Borneo, Java, Sumatra and Palawan. Although it is common to find it in rivers, it is not uncommon to see it in rice fields and other wetlands.
The species is threatened by habitat destruction and pollution. Additionally, the dwarf otter has gone viral recently in several animal videos, leading to them being captured for sale as pets through illegal trafficking in endangered species.
