Eurasian Otter

About Eurasian otter:

• It is also known as the European otter, common otter, and Old-World otter.
• It is a semi aquatic carnivorous mammal native to Eurasia. 
• Distribution:
  • It has one of the widest distributions of all palearctic mammals, spanning countries in the Middle-East, Europe, Northern Africa, across to Eastern Russia, China, and other Asian countries.
  • In India, it occurs in northern, northeast and southern India. In Kashmir, it is known as Vuder, was an integral part of Kashmir’s aquatic ecosystem and was abundantly found in the water bodies.
• Habitat:
  • It lives in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, including highland and lowland lakes, rivers, streams, marshes, swamp forests, and coastal areas, independent of their size, origin, or latitude.
  • In the Indian subcontinent, it is found in cold hills and mountain streams.
• Features:
  • It is an elusive, solitary otter.
  • It has sleek brown fur, which is often paler on the underside, and a long, lithe body with a thick tail and short legs. 
  • Adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle include webbed feet, the ability to close the small ears and the nose when underwater, and very dense, short fur that traps a layer of air to insulate the animal.
  • It has an acute sense of sight, smell, and hearing.
• Conservation Status:
  • IUCN: Near threatened
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II
  • CITES: Appendix I
• Threats: Water pollution and hunting of the mammal for its fur.