Information Source: Moretti et al., (2017). Phylogeography of the smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata): distinct evolutionary lineages and hybridization with the Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus).
Distribution
Smooth-coated Otters are distributed throughout Southeast and South Asia,
Species distribution of the Smooth-coated Otter
Image Credit: Beatrice Moretti et al.
There are three recognized subspecies. The most common subspecies, L. p. perspicillata, is found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore. L. p. maxwelli is an isolated species in Iraq and L. p. sindica is found in Sindh, Pakistan.
You Otter Know! According to a study published in 2017, DNA samples from otters in Singapore revealed that they are a hybrid of the Smooth-coated Otter (largest species in Southeast Asia) and the Asian Small-clawed otter (smallest otter species). This is the world’s first record of introgressive hybridization in a wild otter population.
Population Trend
Even though there is no global population estimate of the Smooth-coated Otters due to a lack of quantitative data on population sizes, based on a study in 2013 on generation length of mammals (Pacifici et al., 2013), it was inferred that their global population has declined over 30% in the past 30 years.