Otter

Animal Spotlight

October 2002

Another dawn descends upon a remote fishing village by a gentle tributary of the Ganges River in India. The fishermen have risen very early and are preparing their fishing nets and sampan-like canoes for the morning fishing expedition. A series of excited bird-like squeaks accompany the fishermen and their canoes to the waters.

Every morning, as many as 6 - 8 fishing canoes take their positions along the tributary and the fishermen then cast their nets into the murky waters. The accompanying squeaking sounds become more intense as the fish in the waters begin to panic and are driven into the waiting nets. The fish that avoided the nets in time are ambushed and gripped tightly by numerous unseen sharp teeth and dexterous claws. Day after day, the same events terrorize the fish in this quiet tributary.

The harvest this morning is rather good. The fishermen have caught enough fish to eat and sell to the rangers of a nearby wildlife reserve. This catch would not be so successful without a little help from the fishermen's traditional fishing assistants - the otters.

For countless centuries, the people of this remote village have trained and domesticated otters as fishing tools and assistants, just like the cormorants have been traditionally trained to catch fish for fishermen in China. But this age-old and traditional working relationship between man and otters is a fast disappearing trade. In recent years, more and more young men from the village are migrating to the towns and cities to look for jobs and a better life. If this continues, the younger generation of the village will eventually distance themselves not only from their tradition and family roots, but also from their unique relationship with the wildlife that their ancestors grew up with, the animals that they had learnt to cherish and respect. Will these young men ever return to help conserve and protect the remaining natural habitats and wildlife around their village? Only time has the answers......

Oriental Small-clawed Otter

For this month, Animal Spotlight switches attention away from the cats and shines upon this animal that everyone finds familiar but probably have little to talk about.

Scientific Name: Aonyx (amblonyx) cinerea

Range: India to southern China, southeast Asia, Indonesia and Borneo.

Habitat: Wetlands, mangrove swamps, river creeks, ponds, lakes, especially where there is some tree cover.

Diet: Mainly fish, also eats frogs, crustaceans, shellfish.

Social structure: Can be solitary but more often in small family groups.

Life Span: Up to 20 years.

Conservation/status: Not threatened though they are affected by water pollution.

Remarks: Waterproof fur to keep body warm, streamlined body designed for swimming, will overturn rocks on riverbeds with front paws in search of crustaceans. Can become very vicious when they gang up together against even much larger intruders.

FAQs about Otters:

Which is the largest otter in the world? The Giant Otter of South America. It grows to 1.8m tall and weighs nearly 32kg!

How about the smallest otter? The Oriental Small-clawed Otter. It measures a mere 65 - 90cm and hardly weighs more than 5kg.

How many species of otters are there? About 13 species.

Are otters sociable or solitary? Both. The Oriental Small-clawed Otters are among the most sociable of all otter species, as many as 15 can been seen together. The groups usually consist of a dominant breeding pair with their offspring from successive litters!

Are Sea Otters a kind of otter? Yes, Sea Otters are the only marine otters in the otter family.

How do Sea Otters adapt to sea life? They live in relatively cold waters but do not have blubber to keep warm. Like all otters they rely on their fur, which is the thickest of all otters with 400,000 hairs per sq cm!

How do otters hunt? Otters hunt fish by chasing after them in the waters. Their slim and graceful bodies are able to turn and twist after the fish like flexible torpedoes. Crustaceans like crabs are uncovered by overturning river bed rocks with their dexterous forepaws.

Heard that otters can use tools, can they? Most otters can use tools like rocks and sharp pebbles to break open the shellfish they eat. The most famous tool users are perhaps the Sea Otters. They float on their backs with the shellfish on their tummies which they then break open with a sharp rock.

For further information about Otters, check out the following websites that contain a wealth of interesting facts on these creatures !

Otternet - http://otternet.com

International Otter Survival Fund - http://www.otter.org

Activity Section:

The paper animal above is modeled after a Japanese River Otter. But since all otters have similar built, it can pass off as an Oriental Small-clawed Otter too. This paper otter will lead to a page where you can also learn to make other paper animals. Enjoy !

Acknowledgements - Facts from Wildlife Fact File and the above source websites, Photo from Night Safari vcd, and story of fishing otters derived from the otters' signboards along the Fishing Cat and Leopard Trail.

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