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| Common otter (Lutra lutra) by Drew Avery |
Scientific name: Lutra lutra
Common name: Common otter
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Mustelidae
Other common names: Eurasian otter, European otter,
European river otter, Old World otter, loutre commune, loutre de rivière, loutre
d'Europe, nutria, nutria común, Eurasischer fischotter, kajka, lundra,
lundërza, lunza, vidra, Видра, llúdriga, shui-ta, 几勒布格, 水毛子, 水狗, 水獭,
獭, 獭猫, 祖衡,
纠困, 鱼猫, 几勒布格,
水毛子, 水狗, 水獭,
獭, 獭猫, 祖衡,
纠困, 鱼猫, odder, Euraziatische otter of visotter, saukko, Βίδρα,
Ευρωπαϊκή βίδρα, לוטרה, lontra, lontra commune, オッター, 수달, paprastoji ūdra, oter, loira
d'Euròpa, wydra europejska, wydra zwyczajna, Выдра, Выдра обыкновенная,
обыкновенная, порешня, речная выдра, utter, su samuru, Видра річкова, dyfrgi
Measurements: Males are 5.45-11.4 kg, 60-90 cm head-body length, and 36-47 cm tail length. Females are 3.36-7.6 kg, 59-70 cm head-body length, and 35-42 cm tail length. Males are about 50% larger than females.
Description: Upper parts brown, lower parts
pale grey, white, or brown.
Native range: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria,
Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bhutan,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong
Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands,
North Korea, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation,
San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden,
Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia,
Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, and Viet Nam
Extinct in: Probably extinct in Japan
Habitat: Lakes, rivers, streams, swamps,
marshes, and coastal areas, found to over 3,600 m in elevation
IUCN conservation status: Near threatened
Movements: They do not make long distance
migrations, but will move within the local area between seasons to utilise different
habitats as they become more or less productive. They typically do not stray far from water.
Diet: Primarily fish, but also eats crustaceans,
amphibians, small mammals (including European rabbit), birds, and reptiles
Social organisation: These otters are typically
solitary, although females are sometimes seen in groups with either their own offspring
or with other females with their offspring.
Social behaviour: Aggressive interactions between
males over territories usually involve chasing and vocalisations, but very
rarely involve physical contact.
Sprainting (when otters leave a smelly pile of faeces at key locations
marking their territory; they are astonishingly pungent) tends to keep actual
interactions between adults rare. Females
show less aggression to each other and tend more to avoid each other, although sometimes
females which share a home range may play together. Individuals of opposite sexes will spend time
together hunting in areas with a lot of prey, as well as resting and playing,
but females with young will often avoid adult males due to the risk of
infanticide.
Voice/sounds: Whistles, squeals, coos, and huffs;
listen to them here
Breeding behaviour: Overlapping home ranges suggest
possible polygynous and/or polyandrous mating systems, but this has not been
studied. Pairs do not remain together,
spending several days around mating with each other and then separating. Holts (dens) are dug underground for the litter,
often with the opening underwater and the burrow extending up the bank until
the den proper opens out well above the level of high water in the area.
Breeding season: Summer and early autumn in
northern regions, winter and spring in warmer southern regions.
Number of offspring: 1-5 (usually 2-3)
Gestation period: 59-63 days
Growth of young: Babies are born small (100-120 g
and 12 cm long) and blind, after a month are 700-800 g and have opened their
eyes, and after 2 months old weight over 1,000 g and start eating solid
food. They reach sexual maturity in 2-3
years.
General behaviour: Primarily nocturnal and
crepuscular, but sometimes out during the day as well (particularly around the
coast).
References:
Carss,
D.N. (1995). Foraging behaviour and feeding ecology of the
otter Lutra lutra: A selective review. Hystrix, 7, 179-194.
Encyclopedia
of Life. (2018). http://www.eol.org.
Erlinge,
S. (1967). Home range of the otter Lutra lutra L. in
Southern Sweden. Oikos, 18, 186-209.
Erlinge,
S. (1968). Territoriality of the otter Lutra lutra
L. Oikos,
19, 81-98.
Erlinge,
S. (1968). Food studies on captive otters Lutra lutra
L. Oikos,
19, 259-270.
Ewer,
R.F. (1973). The carnivores. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Harris,
C.J. (1968). Otters: A study of the recent Lutrinae. London: Weidenfield and Nicolson.
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V., van Tienhoven, A., & van Tienhoven, A.
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Species, 48, 109-122.
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Union for Conservation of Nature. The
IUCN Red List for endangered species. (2018).
http://iucnredlist.org.
Jenkins,
D., Walker, J.G.K., & McCowan, D.
(1979). Analyses of otter (Lutra
lutra) faeces from Deeside, N.E. Scotland.
Journal of Zoology, 187,
235-244.
Kruuk, H.,
& Moorhouse, A. (1991). The spatial organization of otters (Lutra
lutra) in Shetland. Journal of Zoology, 224, 41-57.
Nolet,
B.A., Wansink, D.E.H., & Kruuk, H.
(1993). Diving of otters (Lutra
lutra) in a marine habitat: Use of depths by a single-prey loader. Journal
of Animal Ecology, 62, 22-32.
Quaglietta,
L., Fonseca, V.C., Mira, A., & Boitani, L.
(2014). Sociospatial organization
of a solitary carnivore, the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra). Journal
of Mammalogy, 95, 140-150.
Ruiz-Olmo,
J., Olmo-Vidal, J.M., Mañas, S., & Batet, A. (2002).
The influence of resource seasonality on the breeding patterns of the Eurasian
otter (Lutra lutra) in Mediterranean habitats.
Canadian Journal of Zoology,
80, 2178-2189.
Wilson,
D.E., & Mittermeier, R.A. editors.
(2009). Handbook of the mammals
of the world. Volume 1: Carnivores.
Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
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