Zagreb Zoo

Names of our animals: Lunjo, Maza

Classification
Class: mammals (Mammalia)
Order: carnivores (Carnivora)
Family: weasels (Mustelidae)

Description
Body length: males 36 - 44 cm, females 43 - 46 cm; tail length: 25 cm, weight: 2,4 - 3,8 kg.

Geographic range
South and Southeast Asia.

Habitat
Freshwater wetlands, mangrove swamps, even rice fields.

Diet
In the wild: crabs, molluscs, fish, amphibians, snakes, small mammals and insects.
In captivity: fish, chickens.

Reproduction
After the gestation period of 60 days, the female gives birth to 1 – 6 young, weighing about 50 grams at birth, in a nest in an underground burrow. The young open their eyes only after 40 days, and leave their burrow after 10 weeks. Both parents actively take care of their young and bring food, and after 3 months, when the young start swimming, the parents teach them how to hunt.

Behaviour
Asian small-clawed otters are active during the day, but it has been noticed that the individuals close to human settlements are more active at dusk and at night. They are monogamous and the pair stays together for life. They live in extended family groups of about 12 individuals, and are often seen resting and cleaning during the day on meadows and muddy banks by the water. They are very social animals that search for food together, play and communicate. Unlike all other otters, they use their forepaws to locate and capture items and prey rather than their mouth. Their incomplete webbing between fingers gives them a great deal of manual dexterity. They dig in sand and mud for various shellfish, crabs and fish as well.

Predators
Crocodiles, large birds of prey, large snakes.

Life span
In captivity up to 16 years.
Conservation Status
Due to decreasing of the population caused by habitat loss, especially in the western part of their geographical range, this species has status of a vulnerable species.
IUCN category: VU (vulnerable species).

Interesting facts 
► They break shellfish with heir strong teeth or they leave them in the sun to open by themselves from the heat. 
►They are the smallest of all 13 species of otters.
►They can vocalize in 12 different ways depending on the situation.
►They can swim as fast as from 0,7 do 1,2 meters per second.

Links
ARKive - Asian Short-clawed Otter videos and photos


Adopted by:
OŠ Cvjetno naselje, 1.b razred (2009/2010)
Karla Cigarčić
Dino Šrekais