Native Animals
Lutra sumatrana
Hairy-nosed Otter
EN
Endangered
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
ver 3.1, 2021
Taxonomy
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Kingdom
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Phylum
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Class
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Order
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Family
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Genus
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Specific Epithetsumatrana (Gray, 1865)
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Common Name
- Hairy-nosed Otter (English)
- Memerang Hidung Berbulu (Malay)
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ResidentialNative
The taxonomic status is pending for approval
Description
The hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) is one of the rarest of the 13 otter species in the world and among the five species of otters inhabiting Asia.
The hairy-nosed otter is a medium-sized otter, measuring around 1.3 m in length and weighing around 7-8 kg. It can be identified from an extremely sleek, sinuous body form, and a relatively flattened head with rough fur, white upper and lower lips. The fully webbed paws have well-develops claws (Wright et al., 2008). When compared to the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), the tail of the hairy-nosed otter is slender and more rounded in cross section. The hairy-nosed otter occurs in coastal regions, peat swamp forests, rocky streams and montane areas up to 1800 m elevation.
In Peninsular Malaysia, the first sighting of the hairy-nosed otter was recorded in Taman Negara during the 1960s. Then, two records of sightings in 1991 and 1994 was during roadkills in areas near to peat swamp forest in the state of Perak and Pahang respectively (Sebastian, 1995). There is also one report from Muar in 1995 and one report from Terengganu in 2003 (IUCN, 2017). In 2013, another sighting by a group of nature enthusiast and photographer in Taman Negara was documented (Baker, 2013).
Currently, this species is endemic to Southeast Asia and the distribution range encompasses Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Due to the illegal wildlife trade for its skin, pelt, meat and medical use and forest degradation, this species is categorised as endangered species on the IUCN Red List.
Habits
| No | Part | Habit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Carnivore — The eating of animals
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Habitats
| No | Description | Suitability | Seasonality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Forest → Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland Forest
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Suitable | Resident |
| 2 |
Forest → Subtropical/Tropical Swamp Forest
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Suitable | Resident |
References : http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes/habitats-classification-scheme-ver3
Assessment
| Year Published | Assessment | Red List Category | Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Endangered (EN)
|
3.1 |
| 2015 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Endangered (EN)
|
3.1 |
| 2008 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Endangered (EN)
|
N/A |
| 2004 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Data Deficient (DD)
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N/A |
| 2000 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Data Deficient (DD)
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N/A |
| 1996 | IUCN Red List of Threatened Species |
Vulnerable (VU)
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N/A |
Specimen
| Collection Center | Dried | Live | Slide | Wet | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | ||||||
| 1 | ||||||
| 1 |
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
|
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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
- Wright, L., Olsson, A. & Kanchanasaka, B. (2008). A Working Review of the Hairy-Nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana). IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin , Vol. 25 (1), 38-59
Book
- PERHILITAN. (2017). Red List of Mammals for Peninsular Malaysia Version 2.0. Kuala Lumpur: Department of Widlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) Peninsular Malaysia.
- 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) ]
- Hazebroek, H.P., Adlin, T.Z. & Sinun, W. (2011). Danum Valley: The Rain Forest. Natural History Publications (Borneo), Malaysia. pp. 615.
- 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.
- Tan, P.E., Norazlinda, A.R., Nosrat, R. & Saaban, S. (2015). Field Guides - Identification Key for Non-Volant Terrestrial Mammals of Peninsular Malaysia. Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) Peninsular Malaysia. pp. 56.
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.
Journal
- Malayan Nature Journal, Volume 73, Issue 3, p. 419, 2021
Magazine/Bulletin
- Identification of Commonly Traded Wildlife with a focus on the Golden Triangle (Lao PDR, Myanmar and Thailand) (2020). TRAFFIC, Southeast Asia Regional Office, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia. — [ Adobe PDF (PDF) ]
- Malaysian Naturalist, Vol. 72 (2), 2/2019. Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)
- ASEAN Biodiversity Magazine, Vol. 12 (2), 5/2013. ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity — [ 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
- New Records of Hairy-Nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) in Peninsular Malaysia. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin, Vol. 30 (2), 2013
- The Hairy-nosed Otter in Peninsular Malaysia. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin, Vol. 11, 1995
Publications
Related by Genus
Acknowledgements :- Ms. Aida Salihah Binti Abu Bakar, Ms. Ajla Rafidah Baharom, Mrs. Aziemah Binti Kinan, Mr. Mohd Zulfadli Bin Mohd Arshad, Dr. Muhammad Farhan Bin Abd Wahab, Ms. Noor Amira Aini Binti Noor Anwar, Mrs. Noraina Bt Ab Majid, Mrs. Nur Hazwanie Binti Abd Halim, Ms. Nurul Aimi Amirah Binti Mohd Zaki, Mr. Tan Kok Kiat & Mr. Yasser Mohamed Arifin
Photo credit :- Nick Baker
Species Citation :- Lutra sumatrana. Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Accessed via https://www.mybis.gov.my/sp/20136. [Retrieved 23 September 2023].
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