Animals
Lutra lutra
Common Otter
NT
Near Threatened
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
ver 3.1, 2022
EN
Endangered
Red List of Mammals for Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia
ver 3.1, 2009
Taxonomy
-
Kingdom
-
Phylum
-
Class
-
Order
-
Family
-
Genus
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Specific Epithetlutra (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Infraspecific
- subsp. barang Cuvier, 1823
-
Common Name
- Common Otter (English)
- Eurasian Otter (English)
- European River Otter (English)
- Memerang Utara (Malay)
- Old World Otter (English)
The taxonomic status is pending for approval
Description
Lutra lutra is a common freshwater otter measuring about 1m in length and weighs around 8 kg. The fur is rougher in comparison to the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata). The dorsal part of the body is dark brown, shading to buff or grey on the belly and throat. The paws are webbed with well-developed claws. The male is bigger in size than the female.
Common otter is distributed in a wide area where it can be found in both Asia and Africa. It inhabits a wide variety of aquatic habitats. However, man-made changes to aquatic habitats, pollution and poaching has made the otter's population in a declining trend. This made their status of least concern in 1996 changed to vulnerable starting from 2000 and near threatened starting from 2004. In Malaysia, it is listed as Endangered in Red List of Mammals for Peninsular Malaysia. Their main diet is fishes but they also feed on water birds, crayfishes, rats and frogs.
Habitats
| No | Description | Suitability | Seasonality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Forest → Subtropical/Tropical Dry Forest
|
Marginal | Unknown |
| 2 |
Forest → Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Forest Vegetation Above High Tide Level
|
Marginal | Unknown |
| 3 |
Forest → Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest
|
Marginal | Unknown |
| 4 |
Forest → Subtropical/Tropical Swamp Forest
|
Marginal | Unknown |
| 5 |
Wetlands → Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands [generally over 8 ha]
|
Marginal | Unknown |
| 6 |
Wetlands → Freshwater Springs and Oases
|
Unknown | Unknown |
| 7 |
Wetlands → Permanent Freshwater Lakes [over 8 ha]
|
Suitable | Resident |
| 8 |
Wetlands → Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools [under 8 ha]
|
Suitable | Resident |
| 9 |
Wetlands → Permanent Rivers, Streams, Creeks [includes waterfalls]
|
Suitable | Resident |
| 10 |
Wetlands → Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Lakes [over 8 ha]
|
Suitable | Resident |
| 11 |
Wetlands → Seasonal/Intermittent Freshwater Marshes/Pools [under 8 ha]
|
Suitable | Resident |
| 12 |
Wetlands → Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers, Streams, Creeks
|
Marginal | Unknown |
| 13 |
Wetlands → Shrub Dominated Wetlands
|
Suitable | Resident |
References : http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes/habitats-classification-scheme-ver3
Assessment
| Year Published | Assessment | Red List Category | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Near Threatened (NT)
|
3.1 |
| 2021 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Near Threatened (NT)
|
3.1 |
| 2015 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Near Threatened (NT)
|
3.1 |
| 2009 | Red List of Mammals for Peninsular Malaysia |
Endangered (EN)
Peninsular Malaysia
|
3.1 |
| 2008 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Near Threatened (NT)
|
N/A |
| 2004 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Near Threatened (NT)
|
N/A |
| 2000 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Vulnerable (VU)
|
N/A |
| 1996 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Least Concern (LC)
|
N/A |
Biodiversity Experts
| Profile | |
|---|---|
|
Amal Ghazali Nasron (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals, Insects,
Biodiversity, Conservation & Forest
|
|
Amy Then Yee Hui (Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
|
Fishes (Ecology), Seahorses (Ecology), Mammals (Ecology),
Protected Areas & Marine & Coastal
|
|
Andrew Alek Tuen (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
|
Mammals, Birds,
Protected Areas
|
|
Badrul Munir Md Zain (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
|
Mammals (Taxonomy),
|
|
Chong Ju Lian (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
|
Mammals (Ecology), Vascular (Ecology),
Invasive Alien Species, Protected Areas, Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Marine & Coastal & Climate Change
|
|
David Magintan (Dr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals, Elephants,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Environment, Protected Areas, Biological Resource & Ecology
|
|
Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
|
Mammals, Bats,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Data Analysis, Evolution, Forest & Molecular
|
|
Farah Shafawati Mohd Taib (Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
|
Birds, Mammals, Rodents, Treeshrews, Squirrels,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Data Analysis, Ecosystems & Taxonomy
|
|
Jayaraj Vijaya Kumaran (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK)
|
Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Genetics & Digital Sequence Information (DSI)
|
|
Jeffrine Rovie Ryan Japning (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Monkeys, Fishes, Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Data Analysis, Evolution, Genetics, Molecular, Protected Areas, Science & Technology
|
|
Kayal Vizi Karuppannan (Mrs.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Elephants, Fishes, Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Evolution, Genetics, Molecular, Protected Areas & Digital Sequence Information (DSI)
|
|
Midhat Nabil Ahmad Salimi (Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)
|
Mammals,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Data Analysis, Ecosystems, Education, Environment, Genetics, History, Management, Medical, Molecular, Science, Technology, Water, Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Living Modified Organism (LMO), Synthetic Biology, Protected Areas, Marine & Coastal & Invasive Alien Species
|
|
Mohammad Shahfiz Azman (Mr.)
Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
|
Amphibians, Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles,
Awareness, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Forest, Landscape, Law and Policy, Management, Protected Areas, Science, Systematics, Invasive Alien Species, Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC), National Policy on Biological Diversity, Policy, Research and Development (R&D) & Zoonotic
|
|
Mohd Tajuddin Abdullah (Prof. Dato' Dr.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
|
Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Evolution, Genetics & Protected Areas
|
|
Nasharuddin Bin Othman (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals (Ecology),
Conservation, Management & Protected Areas
|
|
Rahimatsah Amat (Dr.)
Sabah Environmental Trust (SET)
|
Mammals (Ecology),
Environment, Management & Protected Areas
|
|
Rahmat Topani (Mr.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals (Ecology),
Conservation, Protected Areas & Marine & Coastal
|
|
Rosli Hashim (Prof. Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
|
Birds (Ecology), Mammals (Ecology), Spiders, Insects,
Biodiversity & Protected Areas
|
|
Rosli Ramli (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
University of Malaya (UM)
|
Mammals (Ecology), Birds,
Biodiversity, Digital Sequence Information (DSI), Protected Areas & Marine & Coastal
|
|
Saifullah A. Jaaman @ Sharman (Assoc. Prof.)
Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT)
|
Mammals,
Biodiversity, Conservation & Marine & Coastal
|
|
Tan Cheng Cheng (Ms.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Mammals (Ecology),
Protected Areas, Biodiversity & Conservation
|
|
Tan Poai Ean (Ms.)
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN)
|
Bats, Mammals, Rodents,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems & Management
|
PM - Peninsular Malaysia; SBH - Sabah; SWK - Sarawak; SEA - Southeast Asia; W - World;
References
Article
- Sivasothi, N. & Burhanuddin, M.N. (1994). A review of otters (Carnivora: Mustelidae: Lutrinae) in Malaysia and Singapore. Hydrobiologia 285 (1), 151-170
Book
- Red List of Mammals for Peninsular Malaysia: Red List Mamalia Semenanjung Malaysia, 2010. Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP), Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysia. pp. 150. — [ Adobe PDF (PDF) ]
- Beastall, C.A. & Chng, S.C.L. (2021). Identification of Commonly Traded Wildlife in Southeast Asia. TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. — [ Adobe PDF (PDF) ]
- Khan, M.M. (1992). Mamalia Semenanjung Malaysia. Jabatan Perlindungan Hidupan Liar dan Taman Negara (PERHILITAN), Malaysia. pp. 182.
- Payne, J. & Francis, C.M. (1985). A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo. The Sabah Society, Malaysia. pp. 326.
- Phillipps, Q. & Phillipps, K. (2016). Phillipps’ Guide to the Mammals of Borneo and their Ecology: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. pp. 400.
Chapter in book
- Davison, G.W.H. & Akbar, Z. (2007). The Status of Mammalian Biodiversity in Malaysia. In Chua, L.S.L., Kirton, L.G. & Saw, L.G. (Eds.), Status of Biological Diversity in Malaysia and Threat Assessment of Plant Species in Malaysia: Proceedings of the Seminar and Workshop, 28-30 June 2005. Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM). pp. 3-27.
Magazine/Bulletin
- Malaysian Naturalist, Vol. 72 (2), 2/2019. Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)
- TRAFFIC Bulletin, Vol. 30 (2), 10/2018. TRAFFIC, UK — [ Adobe PDF (PDF) ]
Report
- Gomez, L. & Bouhuys, J. (2018). Illegal otter trade in Southeast Asia. TRAFFIC, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. — [ Adobe PDF (PDF) ]
- Krishnasamy, K. & Zavagli, M. (2020). Southeast Asia: At the heart of wildlife trade. TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. — [ Adobe PDF (PDF) ]
Short-note
- The Hairy-nosed Otter in Peninsular Malaysia. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin, Vol. 11, 1995
Publications
Acknowledgements :- Ms. Aida Salihah Binti Abu Bakar, Ms. Ajla Rafidah Baharom, Mrs. Aziemah Binti Kinan, Ms. Noor Amira Aini Binti Noor Anwar, Ms. Nurfarhana Hizan Binti Hijas, Ms. Nurul Aimi Amirah Binti Mohd Zaki, Mr. Tan Kok Kiat & Mr. Yasser Mohamed Arifin
Species Citation :- Lutra lutra. Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Accessed via https://www.mybis.gov.my/sp/20132. [Retrieved 04 June 2023].
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