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image credit: mymodernmet.comHabitat: Mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of Bangladesh, Burma, India, southern China, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam
Status: Vulnerable
The Oriental Small-clawed Otter is the smallest otter in the world, weighing in at less than 5 kg. They’re distinguished from all other otters in that they have only partially webbed paws which give them an excellent sense of touch and are highly coordinated. They can break apart mollusks and crabs swiftly. In fact, they don’t even use their mouths to catch prey – they use their paws!The Oriental Small-clawed Otter has a variety of ways to communicate. It has over 12 different types of vocalizations that it uses to say things like “What’s up dude?!” and “Cool bro!” Okay not really (or maybe?) but still – they’re definitely saying something! Their main method of communication is by scent though. Glands are located in their tail which leave pretty scents about for other otters to encounter. Hm.. maybe pretty wasn’t the best choice of words there. I bet it’s pretty foul.
Anyone ever smelled a Small-clawed Otter before?
