Eurasian Otter

Eurasian Otter Latest News

Recently, the Eurasian otter which was thought to be extinct in the Kashmir Valley sighted almost after three decades. 

About Eurasian Otter

• It is also known as the European otter, common otter, and Old-World otter.
• It is a semiaquatic carnivorous mammal native to Eurasia. 

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Distribution of Eurasian Otter

• It has one of the widest distributions of all palearctic mammals, spanning countries in the Middle-East, Europe, Northern Africa, across to Eastern Russia, China, and other Asian countries.
• In India, it occurs in northern, northeast and southern India. In Kashmir, it is known as Vuder, was an integral part of Kashmir’s aquatic ecosystem and was abundantly found in the water bodies.

Habitat Eurasian Otter

• It lives in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, including highland and lowland lakes, rivers, streams, marshes, swamp forests, and coastal areas, independent of their size, origin, or latitude.
• In the Indian subcontinent, it is found in cold hills and mountain streams.

Features of Eurasian Otter

• It is an elusive, solitary otter.
• It has sleek brown fur, which is often paler on the underside, and a long, lithe body with a thick tail and short legs. 
• Adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle include webbed feet, the ability to close the small ears and the nose when under water, and very dense, short fur that traps a layer of air to insulate the animal.
• It has an acute sense of sight, smell, and hearing.
• Threats: Water pollution and hunting of the mammal for its fur.

Conservation Status

• IUCN: Near threatened
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II
• CITES: Appendix I

Source: IE