CLAWLESS OTTER

The second largest out of all freshwater species, the African clawless otter is well known for its luxurious hair, very silky in appearance and to the touch.  These animals are acrobatic, curious and clever, and are perfectly adapted to the awuatic environment in which they live.  Their dense, short fur insulates their bodies when they are swimming, their webbed back feet provide them with power, and their stron tails act as rudders.  They have very playful personalities, especially once they have eaten.

An African clawless otter is a solitary animal.  Groups of 4 to 6, consisting of 2 to 3 adults with 2 to 3 young, are sometimes seen, and larger groups sometimes form to forage.  This species is most active at dawn and dusk (known as crepuscular).  During the day they sleep in burrow or dens,  The majority of their time awake is spent swimming, foraging, hunting, playing and sunbathing.  On land, they either trot like a seal or walk slowly, sometimes travelling over 7km between one body of water and onother.  An African clawless otter does most of its hunting in water.  They dive for fish, with dives lasting 6 to 49 seconds, with an average of 18 seconds per dive.  Straight after eating, an otter will clean its face with its forefeet.  After bouts of hunting they may leave the water to dry off or to play.