Small clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea)

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The oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinerea), also known as Asian small-clawed otter, lives in mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of South East Asia. They are seriously threatened by habitat destruction, hunting and pollution.

This otter has claws that do not extend above the fleshy end pads of its toes and fingers. This gives it a high degree of manual dexterity in using its paws to feed.

The overall length can range from 70 to 100 cm , about 30 cm of which is comprised by the tail. Weight can range from 1 to 5.4 kg.

Oriental small-clawed otters have flattened heads and short, thick necks; eyes are located toward the front of the head. Their ears are small and rounded, and a valve-like structure enables closure when swimming underwater. Nose pads are dusky or pinkish. They have whiskers on their muzzle. They are sensitive to touch and to underwater vibrations, and are important in detecting the movements of prey.

They have relatively short legs. Feet are very narrow and only webbed to the last joint — not all the way to the end of the toe. Thus, they have only partially webbed paws, which distinguishes them from all other otters. These partially webbed paws give them an excellent sense of touch and coordination, providing them with more dexterity than other otters with full webbing. Their small, blunt, peg-like claws are extremely reduced and rarely extend past the digit.

The oriental small-clawed otter's tail isabout one-third of total body length. The tail is thick at the base, muscular, flexible, and taper to a point. Subcutaneous and scent glands are located at the base of the tail. The tail is used for propulsion when swimming at high speed, to steer when swimming slowly and for balance when standing upright on hind legs.

The oriental Small-clawed otter form monogamous pairs for life. The estrous cycle in the female is 28 days with 3 days period of estrus. The mated pairs can have two litters of 1 to 6 young per year. Their gestation period is about 60 days. When they are born, they weigh around 50 g. They remain in their birthing dens and spend their first few weeks nursing and sleeping. The pups nurse every 3 to 4 hours for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. They are fully weaned at 14 weeks. The newborn will only open their eyes after 40 days. In the next 40 days, the young can start to eat solid food and can swim three months later. All the young otter will stay with their mother until the next litter is born. The male otter assists the female building the nest before birth and in food procurement after parturition. Life span of this species is around 11 to 16 years.

They are very active during daytime. They continually groom their fur to maintain their insulating qualities. They spend most of their time grooming and usually could be seen on land grooming and drying their fur. They dry themselves by rolling on the ground or rubbing against logs or vegetation. They are excellent swimmers. They swim by moving their hind legs and tail. They 'dog-paddle' with all four feet while swimming or floating. When swimming at a high speed, they undulates the entire body including their tail up and down while their hind feet steer. They can dive under water for up to 8 minutes.

They produce small amounts of feces (spraint). The spraints are one of important way for communication among the otters. Other otter could indicate the presence of other individual based on the olfactory and visual of the spraints. Generally, they sleep and resting on land either above ground or in the dens. They often sleep in areas with moderate disturbance. Oriental small-clawed otters are most social animals. They live in extended family groups of about 12 individuals. They are often seen playing and sliding on muddy banks and in the water in regions where they frequently visit or live. They defend their territories by working, scratching and occasionally fighting.

Oriental Small-clawed otter feed mainly on invertebrates such as crab and other crustaceans, molluscs and amphibians. They also feed on insects and small fish such as gouramis and catfish. They supplement their diet with rodents, snakes and frogs too. Apart from crabs, the major prey items for them are the mudskipper (Gobioidei). They hunt food by using their whiskers to detect movements of prey in the water. They use their forepaws to locate and capture items rather than their mouth. Their incomplete webbing gives them a great deal of manual dexterity. They dig in sands and mud for shellfish such as clams and mussels and crabs as well. To get at the meat they crush the shell manually or let heat from the sun open the shells. Therefore, there teeth are broad and robust very suitable for crushing shells.