Hairy-nosed Otter
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| Hairy-nosed Otter | ||||||||||||||||
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| Lutra sumatrana |
The hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) is one of the rarest otter species on earth, and was thought to be extinct in 1998 as there had been no sightings for many years, but a tiny number of populations have been rediscovered since then.
At present, it is believed to live mainly in two nature reserves in Vietnam,[2] Toa Daeng peat swamp forest in southern Thailand,[3] and in Sumatra, the place for which it was named. It was rediscovered in 2005.[4] It was also rediscovered in Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia.[5] Even from these places, they are known from a tiny number of sightings and some roadkill, and from skins.
[edit] Threats
The major threats to this species is humanity. Fishing, crop cultivation, pollution, hunting for their pelts, adversely affect this species.
In Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia, alone, hairy-nosed otters are being hunted for skins which are sold on by middlemen to China in large numbers. The scale of hunting is vast, and it is highly unlikely that the populations of more common otter species in the lake can stand this level of harvest, let alone the rare Hairy-Nosed otter.[6]
[edit] Notes
- ^ Hussain (2004). Lutra sumatrana. 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2007. Retrieved on 06 May 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is listed as data deficient
- ^ U Minh Hai and Vo Doi: Nguyen, X.D., Pham, T.A. & Le, H.T. (2001) New Information about the Hairy-Nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana) in Vietnam. IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 18(2): 64 - 75
- ^ Kanchanasaka, B. K.(2001) Tracks and Other Signs of the Hairy-Nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana). IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 18(2): 57 - 63, and Lekakul, B., McNeely, J. 1977. Mammals of Thailand. Kurusaphra Press, Laprao, Thailand
- ^ Lubis, R. (2005) First Recent Record of Hairy-Nosed Otter in Sumatra, Indonesia. IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 18(1): 14 - 20
- ^ Poole, C. M., 2003. The first records of Hairy-nosed Otter Lutra sumatrana from Cambodia with notes on the national status of three other otter species. Nat. Hist. Bull. Siam Soc. 51(2): 273–280
- ^ Furget-Me-Not
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