Chilean otter (scientific name:Lontra provocax），Mustelidae, semi aquatic animals.The body is slender, the limbs are short, brave and flexible.Body length: 0.5~1m, weight: 3~20kg;The tail is thick and long, generally more than 1/2 of the body length;There are webs between the toes, similar to duck palms.The otter has strong swimming ability and fast speed. The main power is the muscular long tail swinging up and down, and the rear limb paddles to control the direction.It can turn left and right freely in swimming.A dive can last 6 to 8 minutes, and is used to chasing fishing groups in the water.
Chilean otters live in rivers, lakes, coasts and nearby islands, never far from the water.Most of them live in caves, and most of the caves in breeding season are located in the rock crevices or under the roots of trees on the bank.Generally, there are two openings, one of which is underwater, with a large range of activities. They often feed on the water surface with clear water or little debris, mainly fish, crabs, frogs, etc., but also eat small reptilesClam, waterfowl and small mammals.When encountering schools of fish or flocks of waterfowl, they often bite and kill in large quantities, and the quantity exceeds the food intake.Rest on the shore or beach after eating.It reproduces throughout the year. The pregnancy period is 2 to 3 months, and each child gives birth to 2 offspring.
Life habits
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habits and customs
Chilean otters live in the daytime and rise at night. They mainly feed on fish, mice, frogs, crabs, water birds, etc.They are good at swimming and diving, and can stay underwater for 2 minutes at a time.Catching fish is as fast as catching a cat or a mouse. Before catching fish, you often look at the stones near the water. Once you find a prey, you will catch it quickly.Otters are fond of fishing. Even if they are full, they will hunt and kill fish endlessly, which will do great harm to the fish industry.But the clever otter can become a fishing expert for fishermen after six months of training.
Predation pattern
They like to hunt fish in the water with good permeability, and often wait to hunt on the rocks near the rocks or outcrops in the water. They rely on sensitive sight, hearing, smell and vigorous swimming skills to find food.It mainly eats fish, and also eats crabs, frogs, snakes, waterfowl and even various small animals.
Main food
The main food of otter isLiu、Birch、poplar、Populus microphyllaThe higher and more tender soft branch endothelium on deciduous trees.They don't climb trees, but useIncisorChew down the young trees before eating them.A pair of adult otters can chew down a tree 10 cm in diameter in a quarter of an hour.Otters are good swimmers with webbed hind legs and wide flat tails as rudder.Otter is land and wateramphibiousOf animals.They store food in water, build dikes between water and land to intercept water into pools, and dig holes to build nests.One end of their nest opens on the river bank, the other end opens in the forest, and between them is a spacious hiding place.During the day, they stay in their nests or bushes on the bank, and come out at night.Otters catch fish in deep water and drag it to shallow water to eat. They also eat crabs.Otters will dive into the water when they are in danger. They can stay underwater for 5-15 minutes depending on the oxygen stored in their bodies.When they dive into the water, their ears and nose will be closed, and their eyes will be protected by a transparent film.The otter has a streamlined body and waterproof fur.They like to live in groups, one female and one male, or one family.Otters mate in January, produce in April and May, and give birth to 3 or 4 young otters at one birth.Little otters should follow their parents for at least two years.All otters work together to maintain their dikes and waterways.
Distribution range
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As the name implies, the Chilean otterhabitatIt's Chile.
In the 19th century, Chilean otters were almost all over the waters of Chile. However, due to excessive human activities, their habitats became increasingly scarce. In addition, hunting andenvironmental pollutionFor example, only a small number of sparsely populated mountains and marshes have their activities.The total number is less than 1000.
Chilean otter, scientific name: Lontra provocax, semi aquatic animal.The body is slender, the limbs are short, brave and flexible.InterphalangealWeb。The nostrils are valved and can be closed in the water for underwater swimming.The hair is short and dense, and does not touch water.It mainly inhabits along the coast of Chile andriversOn the edge of the lake.Except staple foodfishIn addition, also eatfrog、crab, waterfowl and other smallmammal, and sometimes eat someBotanySexual food.It is customary to build dams as nests.They live near the water.Often live alone, not in groups.
Chilean otters are carnivoresMustelidae1 genus of otternostrilandAuditory meatusThere are small round valves at the mouth, which can be closed to prevent invasion when diving.The eye also has a special structure to adapt to the light in the waterrefraction。The whole body fur of otter is brown, short and dense, shiny, water resistant and easy to dry.
Lontra provocax streamlineIts body is about 60~80cm long and weighs up to 5kg.The head is wide and slightly flat, the snout is short, and there are several short and hard whiskers in the center of the chin.The eyes are slightly protruding, the ears are short and round, and the nostrils and ear canals have waterproof valves.tailSlender, tapering from the base to the end.The limbs are short and webbed between the toes.Body hair is long, fine and dense, brownish black orcoffee, with silk luster;The undercoat is rich and soft.The back of the body is grayish brown, and the chest and abdomen are grayish brown,throatThe hair color under the neck and neck is grayish white and seasonal,summerSlightly reddish brown.
Chilean otter is a semi aquatic mammal and likes to live in lakes, riversswampDifferent from other otters, Chilean otters sometimes live near the sea.Their caves are shallow, and they are often located under the cracks on the water bank or near the waterbushesMedium.Living near the water.Often live alone, not in groups.He often lives in natural caves and likes to live in caves with rock crevices, old roots of big trees, winding roads and rivers on secluded banks.Sometimes they also live in bamboo forests, grass bushes, and generally have a certain living area.They often forage from the main stream to the tributary, or from the downstream to the upstream in a water system, and can also cross mountains to another river. They often go ashore to feed when flooded holes or water is short of food. Otters in coastal areas still have the habit of gathering to feed in the sea.
Species reproduction
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mating
In nature, Chilean otter has no fixed breeding season, and copulation occurs all the year round.Many hunters believe that Chilean otters are in heat in spring and summer.It can reproduce two babies a year, usually two at a time.It is rare to have one or three babies at a time.Under artificial feeding conditions, they can reproduce at least one year old.Estrus time varies according to the place of origin.In the north, it is in estrus from February to April every year;Chilean otters in the south can have estrus twice a year, which lasts for 15-30 days in March May and early September November.The oestrous female otter has a decreased appetite, looks uneasy, screams loudly, chases each other, and bites each other's fur.The vaginal orifice of female otters is red and swollen, and the testicles of male otters are prominent.
Mating is mostly done in water in the morning or evening.Before mating, male and female otters chase and play in the water, and emit "squeaks" and intermittent sharp whistles. Then the head of the female otter lies flat on the water, and the hindquarters sink slightly. The male otter quickly climbs onto the back of the female otter, holds her head, and completes mating while swimming.The mating time is 5-10 minutes.The longest time is not more than 30 minutes. When the climate is - 12 ℃ - 6 ℃, it can also mate on land.
Pregnancy and Birth
When the female Chilean otter becomes pregnant, she is no longer fertilized.Pregnancy54-58 days.The variation range is 52-71 days.The fertilized egg has a free period.After 30 days of pregnancy, the appetite increased, the amount of exercise decreased, and the abdomen slightly expanded.Before birth, she lay in a small room and did not come out, and made a nest with grass in her mouth. Her temper became fierce.In the late pregnancy period of the female Chilean otter, a production box should be set up for her, and soft hay should be put into the box for her wadding nest.Chilean otter litter time varies from region to region.In northern Chile, most babies are born in spring and summer. In most regions, babies are born 4-5 months. In the Volga River basin, babies are born in June and July. In some regions, babies are born in late autumn, and only one child is born every year.In low latitudes, otter litter has no fixed season.Each baby gives birth to 1-5 babies, but two babies are more common.
Growth and development of young otter
The newborn Chilean otter weighs about 54g and is 14.5cm long. It is covered with milky white or light gray lanugo.Close your eyes and turn silver gray after 3 days, and smoke gray after 7 days.Eyes open at 28-31 days old.Weaning at about 50 days old.After weaning, the young otter can follow the mother otter out of the nest and crawl slowly. At the age of 2 months, the mother otter often leads the young otter to the water edge to lure them into the water, or takes the young otter into shallow water to force them to swim.Sometimes, young otters swim in the water on their backs, while young otters practice with their mothers in their necks.After a week, you can swim and fish by yourself.After three months, they can live independently and live separately.The young otter grows rapidly.At the age of 4 days, the body weight was 97 grams, the body length was 16.5 cm, and the tail length was 6.7 cm.At 30 days of age, the body weight reached 800-840g.116 days old,maleOtter weighs 2.25kg,femaleOtters weigh up to 2.0kg.
Population distribution
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Chilean otter is a semi aquatic mammal and likes to live in lakes, river bends, marshes, etc. Unlike other otters, Chilean otter sometimes lives in the seaside.
Endangered causes
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1. Deterioration of habitat environment.Because of the pollution of otter living environment and the deterioration of water quality, otter habitat and food sources have been destroyed.Otters will be directly poisoned in heavily polluted areas. In places with low pollution, there will be consequences of low fertility and weak resistance to disease.
2、OttercoatIt is shiny, extremely elastic, gorgeous in appearance, soft in hand, tough in leather, rich in undercoat, almost impervious to water, and has strong thermal insulation performance. It is a superior raw material for making expensive coats, collars, and hats, with high economic value.In addition, its liver is considered to be a valuable medicinal material, and otter hunters are always chasing after it, which greatly reduces the number of otters.Unlimited hunting.They are on the verge ofExtinctionThe biggest culprit of.
Protection level
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Included in Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III of CITES 2019.[1]
