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The hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana) is a semiaquatic mammal endemic to Southeast Asia and one of the rarest and least known otter species. It is threatened by loss of natural resources and poaching.

Characteristics
The hairy-nosed otter is the least known of the Asian otters, and is also the most difficult to identify in the field. It gets its name from the hairs on the end of its rhinarium; in most other respects, it is similar to the European otter (Lutra lutra). Hairy-nosed otters are entirely brown, except for lips, chin, and upper throat, which are whitish. Some individuals have a reddish-chestnut color, but most have a dark brown hue to their rather rough and short fur. Their tails are flattened and oval in the cross section, and their feet are fully webbed between the digits, with prominent claws. The penis of the adult male is not visible externally.

The contact call between otters is a single-syllabic chirp. However, adult females call to pups with a staccato chatter. Large otters are very similar and can be positively distinguished only by close inspection of the nose and fur, or the skull. In this species, the skull is flatter than that of smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) and has smaller teeth.


 * Weight: 11 to 13 lb
 * Head-body length: 20 to 32 in
 * Tail length: 14 to 20 in

Distribution and habitat
This otter is found in Southeast Asia (Myanmar, South Thailand, Cambodia, South Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia, including Sumatra and Borneo). Sparce communities survive and continue to grow in Vietnam, southern Thailand, Sumatra and Cambodia but are under constant threat of poaching.

In Thailand, they mainly habit lowland flooded forests with climaxing vegetation in three levels: a primary forest zone, a secondary forest zone made up of Melaleuca cajuputs, and a third zone of grasslands. These tiers make the habitat hard to penetrate, providing protection from human disturbance and cover from predators. The Bang Nara river habitat, where communities have been discovered, is tidal however. The two reserves in Vietnam are both peat swamp forests, surrounded by 15m high Meleleuca cajuputs, covered in dense lianas (such as Stenochlaena palustris) in its primary zone, and a second zone of meadows made up of Eleocharis dulcet. These two Vietnamese reserves contain many canals and floating aquatic plants (i.e Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Salvinia cucullata and Ipomoea aquatica.) to hunt and play in, with surrounding rice paddies as a third buffer zone. Cambodian populations of hairy-nosed otters live mainly in the lowland flooded forest of the Tonle Sap Lake.

Sightings
Presently, it is believed to live mainly in U Minh Thuong National Park and Vo Doi Nature Reserve in Vietnam, in the Toa Daeng peat swamp forest and in areas around the Bang Nara river in southern Thailand, and rediscovered in 2005 in Sumatra, the place for which it was named. It was also rediscovered in Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia. Even from these places, they are known from a tiny number of sightings and some roadkill, and from skins.

In June 2008, the Wildlife Alliance-led Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team received a donated hairy-nosed otter originating near the Tonle Sap in Cambodia. Working with Conservation International, they established a safe home for the rescued otter at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre, but the otter, which had been frequently sick throughout its life in captivity, died of unknown causes in February 2010. Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre rescued another hairy-nosed otter in July 2010, and hope it will become part of a future captive breeding program. This is currently the only known hairy-nosed otter in captivity.

Another record of the species was on September 2008 in U Minh Ha National Park in southern Vietnam, when researchers from the Carnivore and Pangolin Conservation Program said they have found two hairy-nosed otters.

After being assumed to be “nonexistent” in the state of Sabah, Malaysia, for the last 100 years, the otter was rediscovered using a series of camera traps in 2010. The same study also confirmed the presence of several other endangered species. Director of Sabah Forestry Department Datuk Sam Mannan said, “These findings show that long-term sustainable forest management is of great importance for the protection of some of this country’s most threatened species and of the unique biodiversity of the forests of Borneo."

Ecology and Behavior
The hairy-nosed otter occurs in coastal areas and on larger inland rivers, solitary or in groups of up to four. Its diet includes fish--such as walking catfish, snakeheads, and climbing perch--water snakes, mollusks, and crustaceans. During the dry season, they forage in the drainage canals and ponds. However, foraging has become the main food-acquisition technique due to increased variation in monsoonal patterns in recent years from global climate change.

Pairing of a male and a female may be limited to the breeding period. Although, not much is known about its breeding habits, but some studies observed breeding in November-December in the Mekong delta populations. Based on the camera trapping in Cambodia, mating season could be anywhere during between November and March. The gestation period for Hairy-Nosed Otters is around two months, and cubs can be seen anywhere between December and February. A family, observed in one instance of research, consisted of two parents and a cub, indicating that they do prefer to be in groups.

Conservation
The hairy-nosed otter is the rarest otter in Asia, most likely verging on extinction in the northern parts of its range and of uncertain status elsewhere. Only a few viable populations remain, widely scattered in region. The species is threatened by loss of lowland wetland habitats, hunting for fur and meat, and accidental killing during fishing.