Congo clawless otter

The Congo clawless otter (Aonyx congicus), also known as the Cameroon clawless otter, is a special kind of animal in the family Mustelidae. It used to be considered a type of the African clawless otter, but now scientists recognize it as its own unique species.

This large otter lives in many parts of middle Africa, including Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and Uganda. It might also be found in Burundi and Nigeria. These otters enjoy many different watery places to live, such as forests near water, swamps, rivers, lakes, and even places where fresh and salty water meet.

Not much is known about these otters, but they seem to spend more time on land than other otters do. Like other members of the Mustelidae family — which includes animals like weasels, wolverines, and ferrets — Congo clawless otters keep areas called territories. They use special scents to mark their territories and work hard to protect them.

Description

Congo clawless otters are special because they have only partial webbing between the toes on their back feet and no webbing on their front feet. They also have small, blunt claws that look like pegs. Unlike other otters, they use their very sensitive front paws to find food. These otters have slender bodies, thick, soft fur, and long tails. They can measure between 600 and 1,000 mm (24 to 39 inches) from head to body, with tails that are 400 to 710 mm (16 to 28 inches) long. Their weight ranges from 14 to 34 kg (31 to 75 pounds). Their fur has often been used by people because of how thick and soft it is.

Diet

Congo clawless otters eat soft foods like small land animals, frogs, and eggs.

Reproduction and life span

The Congo clawless otter can have babies any time of the year. When they are born, the baby otters are white and will change to their adult brownish-white color when they are about 2 months old. These otters might live for about 10 to 15 years.

Threats and conservation

The Congo clawless otter faces dangers because people change or damage the areas near rivers and freshwater where they live.

Sometimes, these otters are caught for food, especially in Congo and Cameroon. In Gabon, people believe otters can give electric shocks if hunted with a spear, so they are less commonly caught there. There are also old beliefs that otters have special powers, like making a person invisible if their fur is worn. The fur is also used to make drums in some places.