The Eurasian otter, also known
as the European otter, is the world's most widely distributed
otter. While primarily a freshwater species, it can forage
in marine habitats provided there is freshwater nearby.
The
Eurasian otter's range extends from the Atlantic coast
of Europe and North Africa to the Pacific coast of Russia,
Japan, China, and Korea, as well as anywhere in between
where suitable habitat remains. It has managed to adapt
to a variety of habitats, and can be found in rivers, streams,
lakes, fjords, swamps, wetlands, canals, ricefields, and
along the ocean coast.
Eurasian otters have a typical otter
body, which is long and slender with short legs and a long,
thick tail that tapers at the end. Their feet have sharp
claws and are webbed for swimming. Their nostrils can be
closed while they swim underwater for up to 20 seconds,
hunting for fish or other food. Their underwater speed
is estimated at 12 km/hr.
Light-colored vibrissae (whiskers)
extend from their muzzle and have an important sensory
function, as they help otters feel the movement of prey
in the water even when it's dark or the water is murky.
Besides this, Eurasian otters have excellent vision, hearing
and sense of smell.
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| Picture
of Eurasian otter, common otter
or European otter, Lutra lutra |
Image
#: 074386 |
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Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Caniformia/Canoidea
Family: Mustelidae/Mustelids
Genus: Lutra
Specific: lutra
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Eurasian otters weigh between 7 kg
(15 lbs) and 9 kg (20 lbs), with males being slightly larger
than females. They measure from about 100 cm (39 inches)
to 130 cm (51 inches) including the tail, which makes up
about a third of their length.
The Eurasian otter's fur
is a light grayish brown to chocolate brown, with a lighter
colored underbody, throat and cheeks. Their fur has a dense
undercoat, which provides warmth in cold water and northern
climates. River otters have been observed spending a lot
of time grooming themselves, which helps to maintain the
insulating qualities of their fur.
Eurasian otters eat
fish, amphibians, crayfish, crabs, snakes, eggs, shellfish,
birds, small mammals, and other prey they can catch in
or near the water. They use their mouths to catch food,
and their paws for swimming, maneuvering and grasping.
Eurasian otters are generally active at night or dusk,
but can be diurnal as well, particularly along the ocean
coast.
Eurasian otters have a high metabolic rate and so
must eat a lot. They are sometimes blamed for depleting
fish populations at fish farms and in rivers popular with
fishermen. However, the fish they prefer are mostly slow-moving
rough fish that are not desired by fishermen, so direct
competition with fishermen is unlikely.
Eurasian otters
are the most solitary of otter species. Males inhabit a
range of 7 to 40 kilometers, which they do not share with
other males, but which may overlap the ranges of several
females. They deposit spraint (scat) and use scent glands
to mark their territory.
The dens of Eurasian river otters
(called holts) are generally natural hollows, spaces under
fallen trees or rocks, cleared areas in dense vegetation,
or sometimes the borrowed dens of other animals.
Eurasian
otters that inhabit cold climates breed in spring, while
those that live in warm climates may breed at any time
of year. Eurasian otters cannot delay implantation of the
fertilized egg in the uterus like New World otters do.
Gestation lasts two months, and litters are typically two
or three pups. Pups open their eyes after one month, begin
to swim at 2 months, and are weaned at 3-4 months. Their
lifespan is estimated to be about 10 years in the wild.
Eurasian
otters are preyed upon by wolves, eagles and lynx, but
as with many otter species, their most serious threat is
man. The IUCN lists Eurasian otters as Near Threatened.
Due to the immensity of their range, they are more threatened
in some areas than others. Some countries have weak environmental
laws or lack the means to enforce the laws they have. Information
about their numbers is lacking in many of the countries
they inhabit, so it's difficult to determine the precise
level of threat. Hunting, trapping, habitat loss, pesticides
and pollution are known to be threats to Eurasian otters
throughout much of their range.
In general, this species
of otter is
recovering in Western Europe, where efforts have been made
to reintroduce them to areas where they were historically
displaced. However, otters in Europe face the problem of
increased traffic fatalities as they are often on the move
and frequently cross roads in their quest for food.
Taxonomists
describe Eurasian otters as Lutra lutra, lutra being the
designation for Old World otters. Some antiquated sources
still use the genus term Lutra to describe New World otters
(for example, Lutra Canadensis), but taxonomists now agree
that New World otters should properly be described as genus
Lontra, not Lutra. Like all otters, Eurasian otters are
in the order Carnivora, family Mustelidae, and subfamily
Lutrinae.
There are many presumed subspecies of Eurasian
otter. The following list contains Eurasian otter names
that have appeared in taxonomy databases on the Internet.
The list is not presumed to be exhaustive, and subspecies
names are not all scientifically accepted.
Lutra lutra
angustifrons - Lataste, 1885; Algeria
Lutra lutra aurobrunnea
- Hodgson, 1868; Nepal
Lutra lutra barang - Cuvier, 1823;
Southeast Asia
Lutra lutra chinensis - Gray 1837; China
and Taiwan
Lutra lutra hainana - Xu and Lu, 1983; China
Lutra lutra
kutab - Schinz, 1844; Kashmir, Tibet
Lutra lutra lutra
- Linnaeus, 1758; Europe, Russia
Lutra lutra meridionalis
- Ognev 1931; northern Iran
Lutra lutra monticola (also
monticolus) - Hodgson, 1839; northern India, Nepal
Lutra
lutra nair - Cuvier, 1823; southern India, Sri Lanka
Lutra
lutra roensis - Ogillby, 1834; Ireland
Lutra lutra seistanica
- Birula, 1913; Afghanistan, Iran
Lutronectes whiteleyi
- Gray, 1847; Hokkaido (Japan)
Alternate names: Eurasian
Otter, European Otter, European River Otter, Common Otter,
Old World Otter, Loutre Commune, Loutre d'Europe, Loutre
de Riviere, Nutria Comun, Fischotter
© Eurasian otter
information assembled from on-line sources by Kevin
Miller on June 3, 2008 for Seapics.com.
http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Species/Lutra_lutra.html
http://www.otterspecialistgroup.org/Bulletin/Volume15/Conroy_et_al_1998.html
http://www.english-nature.org.uk/lifeinukrivers/species/otter.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_otter
http://lioncrusher.com/animal.asp?animal=179
http://www.otter.org/Eurasian%20otter.html
http://www.biologiamarina.com/dev/projects/read.asp?pid=9&docid=79
http://www.wii.gov.in/envis/envisdec99/eurasianotter.htm
http://www.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/mammalia/carnivora/mustelidae/lutra/index.html
http://www.itis.gov/index.html
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/conservation/483249/483259/?lang=_e
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/196.shtml |
