A small otter of South and Southeast Asian wetlands. It probes mud and beneath rocks with its forepaws to find crabs and shellfish.
Its short claws do not project beyond the digital pads. Incomplete webbing allows dexterous movements of the forepaws.
Asian small-clawed otters spend time handling unfamiliar crabs and mussels before eating them. In a study at captive facilities in Britain, they manipulated these foods with their paws, carried them around their enclosures and sometimes juggled them much as they do stones. In contrast, they immediately tried to access familiar meatballs inside transparent boxes. Their behaviour leading up to a meal differed between familiar food and unfamiliar shelled prey.
The 2022 paper analysed records collected at two British facilities between November 2017 and April 2018. Researchers used pieces of fish, crabs and mussels, alongside five types of boxes containing meatballs. They compared the time otters spent physically handling a food item or box before beginning to eat. Crabs and mussels took longer than any of the boxes. Of 20 otters presented with the natural foods, 11 extracted meat from all three types. The records documented otters reaching food inside unfamiliar, hard-shelled items through their manipulations.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
The 2022 captive study recommends considering protected areas with abundant prey and preparing otters to exploit natural foods if reintroductions are pursued. Its authors propose forming groups around an experienced adult to make use of social learning. These are proposed approaches: the authors identify practical feasibility and integration with existing field conservation as matters requiring further investigation.