Eurasian Otter

About Eurasian Otter:

• The Eurasian otter, also known as the European otter, Eurasian River otter, common otter, and Old-World otter, is a semiaquatic carnivorous mammalnative to Eurasia. 
• Scientific Name: Lutra lutra
• Distribution:
  • 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. 
• Habitat:
  • 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:
  • 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.
  • Many sensitive hairs ('vibrissae') frame the snout; these help the otter to locate prey. 
  • It has an acute sense of sight, smell, and hearing.
  • Vocalizations include a high-pitched whistle between a mother and her cubs, twittering noises produced during play-fighting, and cat-like noises when fighting.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Near threatened
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II
  • CITES: Appendix I

Q1: What are Solitary animals?

Solitary animals are those that spend a majority of their lives without others of their species, with possible exceptions for mating and raising their young. The antonym to a solitary animal is a social animal.

News: Rare Eurasian Otter discovered in Pune District for the first time during rescue mission