Speckle-throated Otter
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| Hydrictis maculicollis (Lichtenstein, 1835) |
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Lutra maculicollis |
The Speckle-throated Otter (Hydrictis maculicollis syn. Lutra maculicollis) is an otter native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is also called the Spotted-necked Otter. It is about a meter long and weighs about six kilograms. Like other otters it is sleek and has webbed paws for swimming. Its fur is deep brown and marked with light spots around its throat.
The Speckle-throated Otter hunts for fish and crustaceans in rivers and lakes. A visual hunter, it stays in clear water with good visibility. It is very vocal, uttering high, thin whistles. The female bears a litter of about three young in an underground burrow, and cares for them for almost a year. The otters are sometimes found in family groups.
The Speckle-throated Otter is in decline, mostly due to habitat destruction and pollution of their clear-water habitats. They are hunted as bushmeat.
There are five subspecies.
[edit] References
- ^ Nel, J.A.J. (2004). Lutra maculicollis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 2006-11-14.
[edit] External links
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