What do clawless otters eat

The species belonging to this genus is the giant otter. Giant otters are the largest species of otter, reaching up to 6 feet long and weighing over 60 pounds. They primarily eat fish, but they do occasionally eat other animals such as birds, crustaceans, and even snakes.

Otters in the genus Aonyx are clawless. The three species in this category are the Cape clawless otter, the Asian small-clawed otter, and the Congo clawless otter. These otters tend to eat crabs, fish, worms, and frogs. Last but not least, otters with the genus Enhydra are sea otters. There are three subspecies of sea otters: the Asian or Russian sea otter, the Californian sea otter, and the Alaskan sea otter.

They tend to eat invertebrates such as sea urchins, mussels, crabs, and clams. They use rocks they find in the ocean to help them break open their hard-shelled prey so that they can eat the soft interior.

Otters are vital to aquatic ecosystems. In particular, sea otters maintain kelp forests by eating large amounts of sea urchins, which feed on kelp and other types of seaweed. Kelp forests are a source of food and shelter for many different species. When sea urchins become overpopulated, they deprive other vital species of a food source, effectively starving them out.

Because sea otters have such a big impact on the ecosystem, they are considered to be a keystone species. Unfortunately, like many otter species, they are currently endangered due to human activity such as the fur trade, oil spills, and fishing nets.

Their major threats are pythons and crocodiles that can lay in lure near the water together with eagles and human activities. The otters will forage in man-made fisheries and are therefore hunted and at risk of becoming entangled in their nets. They also get poisoned by baits attached to crab traps, are disturbed by dogs, face a reduction in their food supply due to competition with fisheries and deforestation is destroying their habitat. Scientists have recognised that the Cape clawless otter population is dependent on the crab population in most areas.

Cape clawless otters are fortunately not threatened in South Africa and have an estimated population size of 21, individuals. There is currently no formal protection for the species outside of national, provincial or private parks. Group Bull. Somers M. Nel J. Search for:. Close Search for:. Interesting facts on Cape clawless otters Aonyx capensis. July 14, By jane. Tags: Cape Clawless Otter facts Interesting. When alarmed, they produce a quick hah sound, then disappear beneath the water.

Daily behavior depends on whether these otters live in freshwater or close to saltwater. In marine environments, African clawless otters are most active in the evening; in freshwater, activity centers around dawn and dusk. During the day, they rest in dry places, such as under rocks, in erosion gullies, in dense vegetation, or in burrows.

African clawless otters spend a good deal of time playing with each other and with inanimate objects. Human population growth and the increasing pollution of water sources from agricultural runoff are the biggest threats to African clawless otter populations. They are hunted for their pelts and persecuted as thieves by farmers and in fishing areas, where they can become caught in nets and traps.

The African clawless otter lives throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions of sub-Saharan Africa except the Congo Basin, which is dominated by the Congo clawless otter.

Although African clawless otters will occupy habitat near saltwater, they need access to freshwater and live primarily along tributaries of major rivers or in seasonal rivers in arid and semiarid areas. Their habitats must have boulders as well as reed beds, mangroves, or some other terrestrial cover. Crabs, crabs, crabs!

In marine habitats, they will eat more fish than crabs, and supplement that diet with octopus and lobster. African clawless otters forage independently and use their front feet to grab prey. Their teeth are adapted for crushing the shells of crabs. In shallow areas, they walk across the bottom and search under rocks for prey; in deeper water they must dive down to capture it. Once successful, they either tread water while eating or return to the shallows with their prey.