Wildlifeof Nepal
Smooth-coated Otter
Bears, Dogs & Otters
Photo: Nils · CC-BY
Lutrogale perspicillata
Basic stats
Diet
Mainly fish (including climbing gourami and catfish); also rats, snakes, amphibians and insects
Habitat
Rivers and wetlands; rocky stretches of fast-flowing river with loose sand in one study
Range
Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh east to Southeast Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq
Size
Head and body 59–64cm; tail 37–43cm
Weight
7–11kg
The smooth-coated otter is a relatively large otter, 59 to 64cm in head-and-body length with a 37 to 43cm tail, and weighs 7 to 11kg. Its short, sleek coat is dark brown to reddish-brown on the back and lighter greyish brown below. It is told from other otters by a more rounded head, a vaguely diamond-shaped hairless nose and a flattened tail (Wikipedia, general species account).
It lives in groups of up to 11 and feeds mainly on fish, with a preference for larger fish of 5 to 30cm where it shares habitat with other otters. During the rice-planting season it also hunts rats in paddy fields, and snakes, amphibians and insects make up a small share of the diet. Its range includes Nepal. Nationally Endangered (Nepal National Red List 2011).
Quick answers
- What does the Smooth-coated Otter eat?
- Mainly fish (including climbing gourami and catfish); also rats, snakes, amphibians and insects
- What habitat does the Smooth-coated Otter live in?
- Rivers and wetlands; rocky stretches of fast-flowing river with loose sand in one study
- Where is the Smooth-coated Otter found?
- Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh east to Southeast Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq
- How big is the Smooth-coated Otter?
- Head and body 59–64cm; tail 37–43cm
- How much does the Smooth-coated Otter weigh?
- 7–11kg