Volume 11 Pages 1 - 57 (April 1995)

Citation: Sebastian, A. (1995) The Hairy-Nosed Otter in Peninsular Malaysia . IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 11: 3

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The Hairy-Nosed Otter in Peninsular Malaysia

A. Sebastian

43, USJ9/3C, 47620 Petaling, Salangor, Malaysia

Historically, four species of otters have been recorded in Malaysia. These are Smooth Otter Lutrogale perspicillata, Hairy-nosed Otter Lutra sumatrana, Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra and Oriental Small-Clawed Otter Aonyx cinerea. However over the past twenty-five years, only L. perspicillata and A. cinerea have been recorded in Peninsular Malaysia, while in East Malaysia (Malaysian Borneo) L. perspicillata, Lutra sumatrana and A. cinerea continues to exist.

In the peninsula, L. lutra is known only from the locality of the offshore islands of Langkawi in the Straits of Malaca (Medway, 1969) and thereafter have been no sightings since. Similarly L. sumatrana had not been recorded in the peninsula since the sixties.

In 1991, during surveys in the state of Perak on the west coast, an otter skull was obtained from a roadkill close to recently cleared peat swamp forest. Subsequent identification of this skull by the British Museum of Natural History confirmed that it belonged to L. sumatrana. This was the first confirmation for the continued existence of this species in the peninsula.

In 1994, again during surveys of peat swamp forests close to Nenasi in the state of Pahang on the east coast, another otter roadkill was found. The carcass was examined and photographed and positively identified as L. sumatrana, making it the second peninsular record of this species this decade.

Both animals were found next to peat swamp forests; this common factor leads one to postulate that this species may be associated with the swamp forest habitat as opposed to L. perspicillata, which is predominantly coastal and A. cinerea which is wide ranging. A close association with the dense swamp forest habitat and difficult field identification could explain the lack of sightings of this species.

Projects are being planned to survey the southeast Pahang peat swamp forest (where the second specimen was recovered) and attempt to locate a population of L. sumatrana as well as comprehensive surveys of the Langkawi island complex to determine the status of otters and other mammals there. If L. lutra still exists on Langkawi, it is most likely to be in the little surveyed mountains.

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