Speckle-throated otter, Spot-necked otter
The spotted-necked otter (Hydrictis maculicollis ), or speckle-throated otter, is an otter native to sub-Saharan Africa.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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SemiaquaticSemiaquatic animals are those that are primarily or partly terrestrial but that spend a large amount of time swimming or otherwise occupied in wate...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Generally solitaryGenerally solitary animals are those animals that spend their time separately but will gather at foraging areas or sleep in the same location or sh...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe Spotted-necked otter is so-called because of the creamy white mottled blotches on the neck and chest. Its long sinuous body is covered in dense, water-repellent fur, and its color ranges from reddish to chocolate brown. More aquatic than other otters from Africa, its fully webbed paws have sharp, well-developed claws. Inside its short, broad muzzle are relatively small teeth, which are adapted for catching fish instead of the crustaceans that the clawless otters eat. Its long hairy tail ends in a point and is flattened horizontally.
The Spotted-necked otter lives throughout sub-Sahara countries from Guinea Bissau to south-west Ethiopia and in the south eastern South Africa. Although it inhabits most countries within this area, it is not found in some large areas of southern Africa. They are aquatic animals and require continuous and permanent waterways, preferring clear water with rocks, and are found in lakes, rivers, swamps, and in mountain streams. They do not occur in shallow alkaline lakes or turbid rivers. They live in dens near a source of water.
Typically solitary, the Spotted-necked otter lives in a small family group, according to the time of year. Sometimes they forage in loosely knit groups with up to 20 individuals. They may do this because it is easier to catch fish if they keep the shoal together. Males have a large home range with more than one female living within it. It has one or more dens (or holts) in its territory, one of the entrances typically being underwater. Although this species is usually crepuscular or nocturnal, the otters in Lake Victoria are diurnal. These animals may be vocal, with a range of calls including a contact call, which is a harsh mewing, and a high pitched distress call which is a squawking. They enjoy playing, either with other otters or alone.
Spotted-necked otters are carnivores, they eat mainly fish, but also eat frogs, mollusks, crabs, and aquatic insects and their larvae.
Little is known about the mating system of Spotted-necked otters. However, due to their solitary life it is suggested that they are either polygynous (one male mates with multiple females) or polygynandrous (promiscuous) (both males and females have multiple mates). They may breed seasonally, with the season varies depending on geographic location. Gestation is for two months and pups are born in September, usually two or three of them. They are blind and helpless at birth. Males and females typically only come together for mating purposes, but it has been observed that the male will return after 5 months to help feed the pups. The young begin to swim when they are 8 weeks old and they are weaned when they are 12-16 weeks old. Pups remain with their mother until a year old, this sometimes being after the next litter has been born. Females do not give birth until they are two years old.
Throughout its range this species is declining, due to a range of human activities, in particular pollution and the general degradation of habitats that have fresh water, as a result of agriculture. In some parts of its range this animal is also persecuted as a source of food and fur or because it is seen as a competitor for fish. In large bodies of water such as Lake Victoria, exotic fish may compete for the smaller indigenous fish which these otters eat.
The Spotted-necked otter has a large distribution but no overall population estimate is available. Currently this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...