Otters

  • SEA LIFE, Otter River

Asian Short-Clawed Otters

The Asian Short-Claw Otter is the smallest species in the world, growing on average around 70cm long. In the wild, they live in small family groups of up to 12 otters. 

They are social animals and live in extended family groups choosing to reside in burrows dug into muddy banks. Only the dominant pair will breed, whilst their offspring and older cubs will help to raise new litters. They are playful and will spend much of the day on land playing, grooming, resting and sleeping.

Native Habitat

The Asian Short-Clawed Otter lives in the mangrove swamps and freshwater wetlands of Bangladesh, Burma, India, southern China, Taiwan, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. This often includes rice paddies and river systems.

Asian short clawed otters at SEA LIFE Hunstanton
Otters At Hunstanton

Meet Twix and Summer

Did you know?

  • Asian short-clawed otters are a very vocal species and can make at least 12 different sounds to communicate, including alarm, greeting and mating calls
  • The otters eat primarily crustaceans and mollusks but will also eat fish, insects, amphibians and reptiles. Asian small-clawed otters use their forepaws rather than their mouth to locate and capture food items
  • They have webbed feet, and true to their name, their claws do not extend beyond their digital pads
  • When Otters are born, they weigh around 50g, are toothless, practically immobile and their eyes are still closed!
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