The spotted-necked otter or speckle-throated otter (Hydrictis maculicollis)
The spotted-necked otter (Hydrictis maculicollis), or speckle-throated otter, is an otter native to sub-Saharan Africa.
Habitat
Hydrictis maculicollis is a species of carnivorous mammal in the family Mustelidae.
Hydrictis maculicollis has a wide distribution in sub-Saharan Africa. Its range extends from Guinea Bissau in West Africa to south-western Ethiopia and south-westwards to the northern border of Namibia, north-western Botswana and Zimbabwe, and eastwards through Kenya and Tanzania, Malawi and parts of Mozambique to eastern South Africa.
Appearance
This animal reaches a body length of 44 to 68 cm, with a tail of 13.5 to 19.0 cm and a weight of 3 to 5 kg (males are heavier than females). The body of Hydrictis maculicollis is slender and elongated with a long, flattened tail; it has a large head with a broad neck tapering to a short, broad muzzle; the ears are short and rounded. The coat colour of Hydrictis maculicollis varies from chocolate brown to reddish brown; the throat and nape have white or cream-coloured patches. Colour varies from individual to individual, with occasional albinos.
Nutrition and reproduction
Hydrictis maculicollis feeds on fish and frogs.
In Lake Victoria, Tanzania, Hydrictis maculicollis breeds in July and gives birth in September after a two-month gestation period. There are between 1 and 3 young in a litter. The young are born blind and remain with their mother for up to one year. Males do not participate in breeding.
Behavior and ecology
The spotted-necked otter is very vocal, uttering high, thin whistles and rapid, shrill chatters. It sometimes lives in family groups, but appears to be social only under certain conditions. Males and females are separated for at least part of the year. They normally hunt alone, except when mothers are training their young, and are not territorial, sheltering through the night in short burrows, rock crevices, or patches of dense vegetation. On land, they travel mainly over regular paths, and rarely move more than 10 m (33 ft) from river or lake banks. Both mark these paths by "sprainting" sites, in which they habitually defecate and urinate.
The spotted-necked otter is diurnal and appears to hunt entirely by sight using short dives of less than 20 seconds each in clear water with good visibility. It carries larger prey ashore, but eats smaller prey while treading water. It primarily eats fish, typically less than 20 cm (7.9 in) in length, but also frogs and small crustaceans, especially when fish is in short supply.
The female bears a litter of up to three young after a gestation period around two months. The young are born blind and helpless, and the mother cares for them for almost a year.
Known predators of the spotted-necked otter include lions, crocodiles and African fish eagles.
Conservation
The spotted-necked otter is in decline, mostly due to habitat destruction and pollution of its clear-water habitats. It is hunted as bushmeat.
