Lutrogale perspicillata – ottercity [ɒˈtɜː(r)əsIt-ee], the ability to make a fresh start when the time has come

Ottercity is not a feature, it is one name for Singapore, a city that has successfully rebuilt habitats that have been destroyed before. One of the benefiting species is this smooth-coated otter.

93% of Singapore’s forests were gone .

When a river gets the nickname “Dead Chicken River” it’s no wonder that the semi-aquatic mammals run away. This happened to the Singapore river only 50 years ago, but nowadays otters can be found regularly in many places in Singapore. Sometimes you see a single one, but usually, it would be a small group of around 5. They’ll always attract people and “pose” for some nice pictures. And they are cute! Squeaky short-legged busy babies! Maybe they are a bit less cute with a half-eaten fish in their claws. There is even a Wikipedia article about an otter family.

In Malaysia, this otter species feeds on fish (catfish and Tilapia, which is almost a hundred species of cichlid fish under one name) and crabs, with few (10% of their diet) snakes (pit vipers). In Singapore, you for sure can see them eat kois! They also appear on a regular basis in the local press for using a pool, eating from a pond, or being just otterish.

Googling for some otter facts, I found a study saying that Lutrogale perspicillata crossbred with Aonyx cinereus (Asian small-clawed otter)! Other papers or websites though never mention that at all. So it is either not widely accepted or it is not well recognized/ or well ignored because it sounds a bit weird.

The small clawed otter is much smaller and rarely seen. Chances are that in times where otters were on the edge in this area, crossbreeding happened. Who knows, maybe in a few decades those will be described as the 14th otter species?! In no means hybrid otters are less cute or cool!

Let’s hope more for species showing the “ottercity” to regain their former habitats! It is not their turn to adopt, it ours! Stop for otters at a zebra crossing, don’t buy expensive kois, but get budget-fishies and allow the otters to help themselves.