Eurasian Otter: Key Features, Distribution and Conservation Status

Context: The Eurasian Otter, long thought to be extinct in the Kashmir Valley, has been sighted again after nearly 30 years, marking a significant moment for local biodiversity.

About the Eurasian Otter

• Eurasian Otter is also called the European Otter, Common Otter, or Old-World Otter.
• A semiaquatic carnivorous mammal native to Eurasia.
• Known locally in Kashmir as “Vuder”, once a common part of the valley’s aquatic ecosystem.

Distribution

• Among the widest-ranging mammals in the Palearctic
• Found across Europe, Middle East, Northern Africa, Russia, China, and other parts of Asia.
• In India, it is found in northern, northeastern, and southern regions, especially in cold hill streams and mountain rivers.
• Inhabits a variety of freshwater and coastal ecosystems:
  • Rivers, streams, lakes, marshes, swamp forests, and estuaries.
• Tolerant of both highland and lowland water bodies, regardless of size or origin.

Key Features and Adaptations of Eurasian Otter

• Elusive and solitary by nature.
• Brown fur with a paler underside; long, flexible body, webbed feet, and a thick tail.
• Aquatic adaptations:
  • Can close ears and nostrils underwater.
  • Dense fur traps air for insulation.
• Highly developed sight, smell, and hearing.

Major Threats

• Water pollution (especially pesticides and industrial effluents).
• Illegal hunting for its valuable fur.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Near Threatened
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (India): Schedule II
• CITES: Appendix I (International trade is highly restricted)

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