Oriental Small-clawed Otter
Aonyx cinerea
Summary 3
The oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea), also known as the Asian small-clawed otter, is the smallest otter species in the world, weighing less than 5 kg. It lives in mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of Bangladesh, Burma, India, southern China, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its paws are a distinctive feature, its claws not extending beyond the fleshy end pads of its partially webbed fingers and toes. This gives it a high...
Description 4
This charismatic mammal, equally at home in the water and on land, is the smallest of the world's otters (4). As well as its size, the Asian short-clawed otter can be distinguished from other otters by its small claws (5), after which it is named. These tiny claws, which do not protrude beyond the ends of the fingers (2), enhance the manual dexterity of this otter as it handles prey (5). The Asian short-clawed otter typically has brown fur with a paler underside, although cream-coloured individuals have also been known (5) (6). The edges of the upper lip, chin, throat, sides of neck and face are generally greyish-white (5). Like other otters, the Asian short-clawed otter has a small head, short legs and flattened tail, creating a streamlined silhouette that can move easily through the water (5) (7).
Habitat 5
Aonyx cinerea individuals are commonly seen in the shallows of freshwater streams and rivers as well as coastal regions. There is often dense foliage nearby, which they use as defensive cover, and which restricts behavioral studies in the wild. Nesting burrows are dug into the muddy banks where they live. They have also been seen numerous times in rice paddies.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; saltwater or marine ; freshwater
Aquatic Biomes: rivers and streams; coastal
Other Habitat Features: riparian
Fuentes y créditos
- (c) Joachim S. Müller, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/74743437@N00/4012904185
- (c) Paul Williams, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/ironammonite/9179098786/
- Adaptado por Brian Martin del trabajo de (c) Wikipedia, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aonyx_cinerea
- (c) Wildscreen, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/6685357
- (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, algunos derechos reservados (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18633347
