The Asian Small-Clawed Otter is smallest of all otters, but still packs a huge load of charisma. These playful little charmers can keep anyone entertained for hours.
Besides their size, they differ from other otters by only having partial webbing on their paws and very short claws that allow for better dexterity. This comes in handy since unlike other otters, they catch their prey with their paws instead of their mouths.
They are monogamous and live in extended families of up to twelve individuals. Being very social, they use various ways to communicate that include vocalizations, marking territory with scent glands, tactile behaviors such as grooming and making sign heaps which are mounds made up of mud, grasses and pebbles that serve to alert that "an otter lives nearby".
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Habitat: Freshwater swamps, river, mangroves, estuaries, and rice fields of north-western and south-western India, Southern China, Malay Peninsula Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Riau Archipelago (Indonesia), and Palawan Island in the Philippines.
Threats: Most significant is habitat loss followed by hunting and pollution.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_small-clawed_otter
http://www.arkive.org/asian-short-clawed-otter/aonyx-cinerea/
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