Smooth-coated otter  (Lutrogale perspicillata)

Range

The smooth-coated otter is found in southern and Southeast Asia, India, and China, as well as a small population in Iraq (2).

View a distribution map for this species at UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Habitat

Preferred habitats vary with region, but smooth-coated otters can inhabit large lowland rivers and lakes, peat swamp forests, mangrove forests by coasts and estuaries, or the rice fields of Southeast Asia. These otters seek habitat with rocky areas for dens and resting, as well as bank side vegetation to provide some cover whilst foraging. In areas with monsoons, the seasonally flooded swamps are made use of in order to follow fish populations (1). The smooth-coated otter will travel long distances over land to find suitable habitat (5).

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