Eurasian Otter:
The Eurasian Otter, once believed to have disappeared from Jammu and Kashmir, has been recorded recently in the Sindh River in Ganderbal district.
- It is also known as the European Otter, common otter, and Old-World Otter.
- It is a semiaquatic carnivorous mammal native to Eurasia.
- It lives in highland and lowland lakes, rivers, streams, marshes, swamp forests, and coastal areas, independent of their size, origin, or latitude.
- It is mainly found in the Middle-East, Europe, Northern Africa, across to Eastern Russia, China, and other Asian countries.
- In India, it occurs in northern, northeast and southern India.
- Eurasian Otter is an elusive, solitary Otter.
- Adaptations for an aquatic lifestyle include webbed feet, the ability to close the small ears and the nose when under water, and very dense, short fur that traps a layer of air to insulate the animal.
- Threats: Water pollution and hunting of the mammal for its fur.
- Conservation Status of Eurasian Otter:
- IUCN: Near threatened
- CITES: Appendix I
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule II
