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| Our thanks again to Junichi Sato for permissions to use this lovely photo of the Eurasian otter |
Because of its wide distribution, the Eurasian or European otter is classed by the IUCN into seven subspecies. Additionally, there is an
eighth subspecies being considered but is pending further study and review. (1) Lutra lutra lutra’s range is Europe and
northern Africa; (2) Lutra lutra nair calls southern India and Sri Lanka home;
(3) Lutra lutra monticola ranges in northern India (including Himachal,
Pradesh, Sakkim and Assam), Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar; (4) Lutra lutra kutab
inhabits Kashmir in northern India; (5) Lutra lutra aurobrunnea calls the Garhwal Himalayas (within
Uttarakhand, India) and the higher altitude regions of Nepal home; (6) Lutra
lutra barang is present in southeast Asia: Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia;
(7) Lutra lutra chiensis ranges in southern China and Taiwan. In 1989, Imaizumi and Yoshiyuki viewed
Japanese otters separately as an eighth subspecies, Lutra lutra nippon; then in
2005, it was treated separately by Wozencraft in Wilson and Reeder.
Given the vastness of the Lutra lutra range, it is
classified as near threatened by the IUCN to detail the recovering population
in Western Europe, countries making up the previous USSR and multiple parts of
south and southeast Asia. In contrast,
however, maintaining the near threatened status gives important value to
continuing conservation efforts, especially in parts of China, Indo-China and
Asia due to overexploitation, habitat loss and poaching.
The official taxonomic listing is: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Subphylum: Vertebrata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Carnivora, Family: Mustelidae; Genus: Lutra; Species: Lutra.
