Scientific Classification

Common Name

Congo clawless otter

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Carnivora

Family

Mustelidae

Genus Species

Aonyx congica

Fast Facts

Description

Congo clawless otters are characterized by only partial webbing (between the toes of their back feet and no webbing on their front feet), and small, blunt, peg-like claws. Other otters have fully webbed feet and strong, well-developed claws.
Clawless otters have slender, serpentine bodies with dense, luxurious fur and long tails.

Size

Head & body length: 600 to 1,000 mm (24 to 39 in.)
Tail length: 400 to 710 mm (16 to 28 in.)

Weight

13 to 20 kg (29 to 44 lbs.)

Diet

Probably feed on fairly soft prey items such as small land vertebrates, frogs, and eggs

Incubation

Approximately 2 months; Litters of 2 to 3 pups

Nursing Duration

Clawless otters open their eyes at about 40 days, and first swim at 9 weeks. They take their first solid food at about 80 days.

Sexual Maturity

Probably at about 12 months

Life Span

Probably an average of 10 to 15 years

Range

In central equatorial Africa; from southeastern Nigeria to Gabon, down to Uganda and Burundi.

Habitat

Appear to inhabit only small, mountain streams in areas of thick rain forest and lowland swamps. They are thought to be more terrestrial in nature than other otter species.

Population

Global: No data

Status 

IUCN: Density Dependent
CITES: Appendix I
USFWS: Endangered

Fun Facts

1. Very little is known about this species. It is a small otter and found only in the mid-part of Africa, in the tropical belt. It is believed to spend much more time on land than other otters.
2. Congo clawless otters are one of 13 species of otters in the carnivore family Mustelidae. Other members of this family include weasels, skunks, and ferrets.
3. An individual otter maintains a territory. Otters mark their territories with scent, and fervently patrol and defend their territories.
4. Clawless otters have very sensitive forepaws. They use their forepaws for foraging.
5. The Congo clawless otter actually does have small claws on all of its digits.
6. To learn more about otters, expore the Otters Infobook.

Ecology and Conservation

All otters have been exploited for their thick, velvety fur. All species of otters are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a worldwide treaty developed in 1973 to regulate trade in wildlife species.

Due to commercial hunting for meat and fur, Congo clawless otter population numbers have undergone severe declines especially in Nigeria and Cameroon.

Bibliography

Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of the World. Vol. I. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.

Parker, S. (ed.). Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol. IV. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co., 1990.

IUCN Redlist: http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=1794