Old World Otter
| Old World Otter | ||||||||||||
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Eurasian river otter ( Lutra lutra ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lutra | ||||||||||||
| Brünnich , 1771 |
The old world otters ( Lutra ) are a genus of predators from the subfamily of the otters (Lutrinae) within the family of the marten (Mustelidae). The genus includes three species: the Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra ), which also lives in Europe , the Japanese otter ( Lutra nippon ) and the hair-nosed otter ( Lutra sumatrana ).
General
Old-world otters have an elongated, cylindrical body with short legs and a thick, muscular tail. The head is rounded, the muzzle blunt; the small ears and nostrils can be closed under water. Their dense, water-repellent fur is brownish in color, the underside is lighter and the throat can be colored whitish. These animals reach a head body length of 50 to 82 centimeters, a tail length of 33 to 50 centimeters and a weight of 5 to 14 kilograms, whereby the males are heavier than the females.
These animals are dependent on the proximity of water in their habitat, mostly they are found in fresh water, more rarely in estuaries of rivers or on the coast of the sea. They can be active during the day or at night, but are more likely to forage at night. During the day they hide in their den on the bank, they are excellent swimmers and divers.
Their diet consists of fish , frogs , crustaceans , and sometimes they also eat water birds and small mammals.
Systematics
The genus includes three types:
- the Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra )
- the Japanese otter ( Lutra nippon )
- the hair-nosed viper ( Lutra sumatrana ) in Southeast Asia
The spot-necked otter ( Hydrictis maculicollis ) is also partly placed in this genus, but is currently listed as a separate monotypical genus.
supporting documents
- ↑ Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (eds.): Lutra ( Memento of the original from March 5, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed).
- ↑ Hydrictis maculicollis ( Memento of the original from January 28, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in Wilson & Reeder's Mammal Species of the World (3rd ed)
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0801857899
