IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin
©IUCN/SCC Otter Specialist Group
Volume 35 Issue 1 (January 2018)
Abstracts
Notes on Population Status and Feeding Behaviour of Asian Small-Clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus) in the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest of Bangladesh
Pages 3 - 10 (Report)
M. Abdul Aziz
Very little information is available on population status, distribution and ecology of Asian Small-clawed Otter, Aonyx cinereus in Bangladesh. By surveying approximately 351 km of water courses in the Bangladesh Sundarbans, 53 individuals of this otter were recorded in 13 groups, with a mean group size of 4.08± SE 1.13. Mean encounter rate of combined sighting, footprint, and spraint was 0.06/km of rivers surveyed, with higher abundance along the eastern regions of the Sundarbans. Otters were found predominantly feeding on mudskippers (Periophthalmus sp.) on the exposed river mudflats, particularly during ebb tide. The chemical pollution in watercourses by several recent cargo incidents within the Bangladesh Sundarbans might have adversely affected otter populations. Systematic otter surveys are needed for a rigorous population assessment to guide conservation effort, and to monitor ecosystem health of the Sundarbans.
Contents | Full
Text + Links | PDF (1.09 MB)
Feeding Ecology and Spraint Deposition Sites of the Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis) at Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park, Brazil
Pages 11 - 21 (Article)
Fernando Ferreira de Pinho, Guilherme Braga Ferreira and Izabela Menezes Barata
Knowledge on the feeding ecology and habitat use of a species is of essential value for effective conservation. We describe the diet and spraints deposition sites for the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) at Cavernas do Peruaçu National Park, in south eastern Brazil. We collected spraints and recorded characteristics of the deposition sites from 2007–2010. We described otter diet as the number of faeces in which a given taxon was found and the frequency of occurrence of each taxon. We collected 57 spraints and identified 92 food items from nine different taxa, all from animal origin. Fish was the most frequent taxon, found in 98.3% of our samples, followed by arthropods (22.8%) and mammals (10.5%). We recorded 112 spraint deposition sites, most of them located in caves (80%) and <10 m from the water (93.4%). In our study area the Neotropical otter relies heavily on fish, and we believe that the behaviour of some fish species makes them more vulnerable to predation. Habitat use by otters has important management implications for the national park, as caves are the main tourist attraction and some tourist tracks are located next to the river. Although a well-implemented management action might seem enough to avoid negative impacts of tourism, we believe that monitoring the Neotropical otter population in our study area is of major conservation concern to evaluate the impacts of this activity.
Contents | Full
Text + Links | PDF (525 KB)
A National Survey of the Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra L., 1758) in Mongolia
Pages 22 - 30 (Report)
Setev Shar, Ravchig Samiya, Bazartseren Boldgiv and Melissa Savage
A survey for otters across Mongolia was conducted in 2012 to document the status and distribution range of the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra Linnaeus, 1758), and to propose the scientific basis for government policies to protect the species. We report results from the first survey of otter since the late 1980s (Stubbe et al., 1989), with new records emerged after 2012. The species is very rarely reported in the country, but in addition to an actual sighting of this species, the survey team observed a limited number of otter sign, including tracks, scat, ice diving holes, snow diving marks, snow wallows, territorial marks, and prey remains at widely distributed sites. We recommend a set of strategies to expand conservation for the Eurasian otter in Mongolia.
Contents | Full
Text + Links | PDF (320 KB)
Photographic Documentation and Distribution of Smooth-Coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) (Geoffroy 1826) in Surat, Gujarat
Pages 31 - 36 (Report)
Krunal Trivedi and Prashant Joshi
A group of Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata GEOFFROY 1826) was sighted at Gavier lake of Nature Club Surat. This group of otter was documented by Nature Club Surat with the help of camera traps. Nature Club Surat has also identified five other sites where indirect signs of otters were found. In March 2014 otters were sighted for the first time in Gavier Lake but no photographic evidences were found at that time. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/Endangered-otters-back-in-Gavier-lake/articleshowprint/31931076.cms?null). According to presently available data and information of Gujarat State Forest Department, smooth-coated otters are only found in Narmada River system and surrounding water sources such as wetlands, lakes, canals and streams.
Contents
|
Full
Text + Links
|
PDF (737 KB)
The Recovery of a Coastal Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra) Population in the Galician Atlantic Islands Maritime-Terrestrial National Park
Pages 37 - 46 (Report)
Rafael Romero Suances
In Galicia (NW of the Iberian Peninsula) there is an important population of coastal Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra), some of which are present on islands. This study analyses the recent historical evolution of the species distribution along the Galician Atlantic Islands Maritime-Terrestrial National Park. National surveys of years 1984, 1994 and 2005, other local surveys conducted between 2000 and 2017, some publications and other technical reports have been used for this purpose. Also, between 2010 and 2017, the number of otters inhabiting each island and their relative age were estimated using camera traps. According to the information collected, otters may have disappeared or become very scarce in the last third of the 20th century. However, from the beginning of the 21st century, their populations began to recover, occupying today all the islands and the closest coasts. It has been confirmed otter breeding in all islands between 2010 and 2017. The average size of the observed litters was 1.89 cubs. There does not seem to be a well-defined breeding season pattern. For each of the islands, a minimum population of 4 otters was recorded.
Contents |
Full Text + Links |
PDF 1.01 MB)
First Record of Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra in the Anamalai Hills, Southern Western Ghats, India
Pages 47 - 56 (Report)
Divya Mudappa, Nisarg Prakash, Pooja Pawar, K. Srinivasan, M. S. Ram, Sagar Kittur, And G. Umapathy
There have been historic records of Eurasian otters from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, but no evidence in the intervening seven decades. This had led to some doubt regarding the veracity of earlier records or attributed them to mislabelling of specimens. However, with the recent discovery of a roadkill of a Eurasian otter and following confirmation of identity of species from both photographs and molecular analysis, the occurrence of the species in the Anamalai hills of southern Western Ghats is confirmed. In this note, we present data from this first photographic and molecular evidence of the Eurasian otter from the southern Western Ghats. Morphometric measurements recorded helped identify the species and tissue sample analyzed showed 97–100% identity with Lutra lutra sequences available in the GenBank database. Records based on sightings or signs without photographic or molecular evidence should be treated with caution given the difficulty in identifying otters in field.
Contents | Full Text + Links | PDF (2.4 MB)
Attack of Otter on Humans in Thrissur, Kerala, India
Pages 57 - 61 (Report)
Suresh K. Govind and E.A. Jayson
Human-otter conflict is a rare phenomenon, but has been reported from North and South America, and the Indian sub-continent. This paper reports on three Smooth-Coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) attacks in Thrissur, Kerala, India, discovered during a detailed study of human-wildlife conflict which ran from April 2009 to March 2012. Focus group discussion was carried out with local people with follow-up of individual anecdotes. One fatal, and two non-fatal attacks were reported; ex gratia payments to victims were sanctioned by the Kerala Forest and Wildlife Department. All attacks were by groups of otters at dawn or dusk. Two incidents were in the breeding season (August to November) and one in June 2011. The reason for the attacks appears to be territorial.
Contents | Full Text + Links | PDF (886 KB)
Anvil-Use by Aonyx capensis: a Rebuttal
Pages 62 - 65 (Short Note)
David T Rowe-Rowe
The claim that Aonyx capensis uses anvils to break open hard prey is rejected. It is believed that the authors who originally made the claim that the otter had used anvils to open freshwater mussels, based on signs in the field and not on direct observations, ignored the more likely possibility that the anvils had been used by the water mongoose Atilax paludinosus, which does employ this type of behaviour.
Contents | Full Text + Links | PDF (886 KB)