Lutrogale perspicillata

The appearance of the smooth-coated otter is quite similar to that of the river otter. Individuals are generally slightly larger than the Chinese river otter and can weigh more than ten kilograms. The skull is relatively large. Compared with the Northeast river otter, the two are similar in appearance. The distinguishing feature is that the smooth-coated otter has a shorter snout, and the nasal and frontal bones are not flat but obviously tilted. The eye sockets are large, and the parallel sides of the orbital distance after the supraorbital process are quite long. The palatine foramen is large and oval; the palatine bone between the two palatine foramina is deeply sunken. The palatine bone process is obvious, so the posterior edge is double concave. The ears are short and round. The upper edge of the exposed nose pad and the junction of the hair area only protrude a little in the middle, almost in a straight line. The tail is about half the length of the body, and the tail is very fla

Distributed in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam.
Distributed in Yunnan, Guangdong and other places in China.
The smooth-coated otter mainly lives near rivers, and also lives in rock crevices and caves on the seashore in coastal areas.

The smooth-coated otter is an animal of the family Mustelidae and genus Otter, with no subspecies.

The smooth-coated otter generally does not have a fixed residence, and the residence is not covered with grass, trees or other miscellaneous objects. There is a certain area of activity, and the time of patrolling varies depending on the size of the activity area, which can be as short as 4 or 5 days or even half a month. Some stay on isolated islands far from the coast for a long time. River otters like to move in groups. Fishermen fishing in the sea often see several or even more than ten otters swimming in the sea in the early morning and evening, with their heads floating out of the water and making "cooing" sounds from their nostrils. This is a group of otters hunting marine fish. They migrate with the number of fish schools. When fish are scarce, they move to areas with abundant fish and crabs. In summer, they go to the distant deep sea, and in winter, they return to the nearshore shallow sea area.

River otters are ferocious. Where there are otter groups, if an otter in distress calls out, the group of otters will come immediately upon hearing the sound, especially the cries of young otters, which can attract the group of otters.

Illegal hunting, river pollution, and destruction of the living environment are the main reasons threatening the survival of the smooth-coated otter.

Listed in the 2015 Red List of Endangered Species of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) ver 3.1 - Vulnerable (VU).

Listed in the second level of the List of Wildlife under National Key Protection in China.

Protect wildlife and eliminate game.

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