There are around 500 smooth-coated otters along the southern Konkan coast, revealed the first census of this rarely studied mammal. “Otters are elusive aquatic mammals that move on both land and water. With small eyes and ears, a flat tail and webbed paws, smooth-coated otters hunt in groups for safety, the study found. The data was published as a part of a research paper recently by the state mangrove cell. There are six species of otters recorded from Asia, of which the Eurasian otter, smooth-coated otter and Asian small-clawed otter, are reported from India.

Source: Hindustan Times November 07, 2017 11:15 UTC