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Asian small-clawed otter
The Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus), also called oriental small-clawed otter and small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia. It has short claws that do not extend beyond the pads of its webbed digits. With a total body length of 730 to 960 mm (28.6 to 37.6 in), and a maximum weight of 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), it is the smallest otter species.
The Asian small-clawed otter lives in riverine habitats, freshwater wetlands and mangrove swamps. It feeds on molluscs, crabs and other small aquatic animals. It lives in pairs, but also has been observed in family groups with up to 12 individuals. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and is threatened by habitat loss, pollution, and in some areas also by hunting.
Lutra cinerea was the scientific name proposed by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger in 1815 for an otter collected in Batavia. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several zoological specimens were described:
Results of a mitochondrial cytochrome B analysis published in 1998 indicated that it should be subordinated to the genus Aonyx. Results of a molecular study published in 2008 showed that the Asian small-clawed otter is a sister taxon of Lutrogale, lending support to retaining the genus Amblonyx or expanding Aonyx to make it monophyletic. They genetically diverged about 1.5 million years ago.
The Asian small-clawed otter groups with the African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) and the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) into a sister clade with the genus Lutra. Hybridisation of Asian small-clawed otter females with smooth-coated otter males occurred in Singapore. The resulting offspring and their descendants bred back into the smooth-coated otter population, but maintained the genes of their small-clawed otter ancestors; a population of at least 60 hybrid otters are present in Singapore as of 2016.
The Asian small-clawed otter has deep brown fur with some rufous tinge on the back, but paler below. Its underfur is lighter near the base. The sides of the neck and head are brown, but its cheeks, upperlip, chin, throat and sides of the neck are whitish. Its skull is short, and the naked rhinarium rounded above. The muzzle has long coarse vibrissae on either side. Its eyes are located toward the front of the head. The small ears are oval-shaped with an inconspicuous tragus and antitragus. Its paws are narrow with short digits that are webbed to the last joint. There are short hairs on the lower sides of the interdigital webs. The four-lobed plantar pads are longer than wide. The claws are short, almost erect, and in some individuals even absent. Females have four mammary glands.
The Asian small-clawed otter is the smallest otter species in Asia. In head-to-body length, it ranges from 470 to 610 mm (18.4 to 24 in) with a 260 to 350 mm (10.2 to 13.6 in) long tail. The tapering tail is thick and muscular, especially at the base, and more than half the length of the body. Hind feet are 97 to 102 mm (3.8 to 4 in) long. Length of skull ranges from 3.3 to 3.7 in (84 to 94 mm). It does not have upper premolars and only four cheek teeth above. Adult captive otters range in weight from 2.7 to 3.5 kg (6.0 to 7.7 lb).
The Asian small-clawed otter's native range comprises parts of India to Southeast Asia including the islands of Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Palawan. It lives in freshwater wetlands such as swamps, meandering rivers, irrigated rice fields as well as estuaries, coastal lagoons and tidal pools. It occurs in West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and in coastal regions of Odisha. In Karnataka, Nilgiri and Palni hills in Tamil Nadu, it lives in shallow mountain creeks up to an elevation of 2,000 m (6,600 ft). In West Java, it inhabits areas along slow-flowing irrigation channels, pond areas and rice fields surrounded by vegetation that offers shelter. It also occurs in mangrove forests. In February 2025, the Asian small-clawed otter was photographed in Dadeldhura District in far-western Nepal.
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Asian small-clawed otter
The Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus), also called oriental small-clawed otter and small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia. It has short claws that do not extend beyond the pads of its webbed digits. With a total body length of 730 to 960 mm (28.6 to 37.6 in), and a maximum weight of 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), it is the smallest otter species.
The Asian small-clawed otter lives in riverine habitats, freshwater wetlands and mangrove swamps. It feeds on molluscs, crabs and other small aquatic animals. It lives in pairs, but also has been observed in family groups with up to 12 individuals. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and is threatened by habitat loss, pollution, and in some areas also by hunting.
Lutra cinerea was the scientific name proposed by Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger in 1815 for an otter collected in Batavia. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several zoological specimens were described:
Results of a mitochondrial cytochrome B analysis published in 1998 indicated that it should be subordinated to the genus Aonyx. Results of a molecular study published in 2008 showed that the Asian small-clawed otter is a sister taxon of Lutrogale, lending support to retaining the genus Amblonyx or expanding Aonyx to make it monophyletic. They genetically diverged about 1.5 million years ago.
The Asian small-clawed otter groups with the African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) and the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) into a sister clade with the genus Lutra. Hybridisation of Asian small-clawed otter females with smooth-coated otter males occurred in Singapore. The resulting offspring and their descendants bred back into the smooth-coated otter population, but maintained the genes of their small-clawed otter ancestors; a population of at least 60 hybrid otters are present in Singapore as of 2016.
The Asian small-clawed otter has deep brown fur with some rufous tinge on the back, but paler below. Its underfur is lighter near the base. The sides of the neck and head are brown, but its cheeks, upperlip, chin, throat and sides of the neck are whitish. Its skull is short, and the naked rhinarium rounded above. The muzzle has long coarse vibrissae on either side. Its eyes are located toward the front of the head. The small ears are oval-shaped with an inconspicuous tragus and antitragus. Its paws are narrow with short digits that are webbed to the last joint. There are short hairs on the lower sides of the interdigital webs. The four-lobed plantar pads are longer than wide. The claws are short, almost erect, and in some individuals even absent. Females have four mammary glands.
The Asian small-clawed otter is the smallest otter species in Asia. In head-to-body length, it ranges from 470 to 610 mm (18.4 to 24 in) with a 260 to 350 mm (10.2 to 13.6 in) long tail. The tapering tail is thick and muscular, especially at the base, and more than half the length of the body. Hind feet are 97 to 102 mm (3.8 to 4 in) long. Length of skull ranges from 3.3 to 3.7 in (84 to 94 mm). It does not have upper premolars and only four cheek teeth above. Adult captive otters range in weight from 2.7 to 3.5 kg (6.0 to 7.7 lb).
The Asian small-clawed otter's native range comprises parts of India to Southeast Asia including the islands of Sumatra, Java, Borneo and Palawan. It lives in freshwater wetlands such as swamps, meandering rivers, irrigated rice fields as well as estuaries, coastal lagoons and tidal pools. It occurs in West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and in coastal regions of Odisha. In Karnataka, Nilgiri and Palni hills in Tamil Nadu, it lives in shallow mountain creeks up to an elevation of 2,000 m (6,600 ft). In West Java, it inhabits areas along slow-flowing irrigation channels, pond areas and rice fields surrounded by vegetation that offers shelter. It also occurs in mangrove forests. In February 2025, the Asian small-clawed otter was photographed in Dadeldhura District in far-western Nepal.