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Potamogalidae is the family of "otter shrews", a group of semiaquatic riverine afrotherian mammals indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa. [2] They are most closely related to the tenrecs of Madagascar, from which they are thought to have split about 47–53 million years ago. [2] [3] [4] They were formerly considered a subfamily of Tenrecidae. [2]
With a total body length of 730 to 960 mm (28.6 to 37.6 in), and a maximum weight of 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), it is the smallest otter species. The Asian small-clawed otter lives in riverine habitats, freshwater wetlands and mangrove swamps. It feeds on molluscs, crabs and other small aquatic animals. It lives in pairs, but was also observed in family ...
The Cape clawless otter (Aonyx capensis capensis) is a subspecies of African clawless otter found in sub-Saharan Africa near permanent bodies of freshwater and along the seacoast. It is the largest of the Old World otters and the third largest otter after the giant otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis ) and the sea otter ( Enhydra lutris ).
Sthenictis sp. (American Museum of Natural History). Mustelids vary greatly in size and behaviour. The smaller variants of the least weasel can be under 20 cm (8 in) in length, while the giant otter of Amazonian South America can measure up to 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) and sea otters can exceed 45 kg (99 lb) in weight.
Several otter species live in cold waters and have high metabolic rates to help keep them warm. Eurasian otters must eat 15% of their body weight each day, and sea otters 20 to 25%, depending on the temperature. In water as warm as 10 °C (50 °F), an otter needs to catch 100 g (3.5 oz) of fish per hour to survive.
The Eurasian otter is the most widely distributed otter species, its range including parts of Asia and northern Africa, as well as being spread across Europe, south to Palestine. Though currently thought to be extinct in Liechtenstein and Switzerland , it is now common in Latvia , along the coast of Norway , in the western regions of Spain and ...
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The legs are short and strong, with large, webbed feet bearing strong and sharp claws for handling slippery fish. The smooth-coated otter is a relatively large otter species, weighing from 7–11 kg (15–24 lb) and measuring around 59–64 cm (23–25 in) in head-body length with a 37–43 cm (15–17 in) long tail.