EURASIAN OTTERS - ENVIRONMENT
News: Eurasian
otter raises hope for J&K stream
What's in the news?
● The
first photographic record of an elusive semi-aquatic carnivorous mammal has
indicated that not all is lost for a Jammu and Kashmir stream.
Key takeaways:
● The
animal’s presence in the upper Chenab
catchment, their findings have confirmed that some stretches of the Neeru
remain unpolluted. The Neeru is a
tributary of the Chenab river.
● The
Eurasian otter - classified as ‘near
threatened’ on the IUCN Red List - is regarded as a flagship species and indicator of high-quality aquatic habitats,
its presence is encouraging for the health of the Neeru stream.
● The
species was reported to occur in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020 and its presence in
the Indus river and its tributaries in Ladakh was confirmed through two earlier
studies.
Eurasian Otters:
● It
is a semi-aquatic mammal found in
Europe, Asia, and parts of North Africa. Mammals of the family Mustelidae
with seven genera and 13 species.
Habitat:
● The
Eurasian otter covers the largest range of any Palearctic mammal, covering
parts of three continents - Europe, Asia, and Africa.
● Eurasian
otters are found in freshwater habitats
such as rivers, streams, and lakes, although they may also occur in coastal
areas.
● Species
in India: Smooth-coated, Asian small-clawed and Eurasian Otters
○ Smooth-coated
- all over India.
○ Asian small-clawed
- only in the Himalayan foothills, parts of the Eastern and southern Western
Ghats.
○ Eurasian
- Western Ghats and Himalayas.
Reasons for their decline:
● The
species is persecuted as a pest in
countries such as India, China and Nepal, and its populations in Europe and
Asia have declined in recent years due to hunting for food and pelt, habitat
loss, pollution and climate change.
IUCN Status:
Near Threatened.
Significance:
● Eurasian
otters play an important ecological role as top predators in freshwater ecosystems.
● They
help regulate fish populations and maintain the health of aquatic habitats.