A rare Bukit inhabitant

It was least expected but when it popped up I never would have thought it was an otter.  This Asian Small-clawed Otter made my day though after waiting in vain for a winged sighting.
The mystery now is how did it get into the bukit. It looked like a loner too.

Scientific Name-Aonyx Cinerea

Conservation Status-Vulnerable

Appearance

The Oriental small clawed otter is the smallest of the 13 otter species. They generally only weigh between 2.5 and 3kg. They only measure up to 100cm of which a third may be the tail.

The back feet of this species is fully webbed and the front feet are partially webbed.

Their body is covered in dark brown fur which is quite short. On the underside their fur is a pale brown.

Lifespan                                                                                   

In the wild the oriental small clawed otter may live to be 10 years old. In human care they have been known to reach 20 years.

Diet

The Oriental Small Clawed Otter is a carnivore. In the wild the main food which they eat is crabs. They will also eat fish and snails while in the water. On land they can eat lizards, frogs, mice and eggs.

Habitat 

In their natural habitat oriental small clawed otters inhabit swamps, rivers, mangroves and tidal pools. They are also known to frequent human made rice paddies.

They do not like open areas choosing instead to inhabit areas with low to moderate tree cover.

Just as sudden as it had appeared, it quickly disappeared into the undergrowth.