EURASIAN OTTER

Why in News?                                                                                                        

A team of researchers have discovered Eurasian otter in the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki, a first in Kerala.

What is Eurasian Otter?

• Eurasian Otter is a semi-aquatic carnivorous mammal.
• Scientific Name: Lutra lutra
• It has one of the widest distributions of all Palaearctic mammals.
• It lives in a wide variety of aquatic habitats, including highland and lowland lakes, rivers, streams, marshes, swamp forests, and coastal areas.
• In the Indian subcontinent, Eurasian otters occur in cold hill and mountain streams.
• Threats: habitat loss and degradation, pollution, and hunting.
• Ecological role: Eurasian otters play an important ecological role as top predators in freshwater ecosystems. They help regulate fish populations and maintain the health of aquatic habitats.
• They are shy and nocturnal and are found near small streams in the interior forests and hunt their prey during the night.
• Conservation Status:
• IUCN: Near threatened
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II
• CITES: Appendix I.