Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2026 | 18(3): 28573–28577
ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10367.18.3.28573-28577
#10367 | Received 07 January 2026 | Final received 18 February 2026|
Finally accepted 09 March 2026
First photographic record of
Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata from the canals in Upper Ganga Ramsar Site, Uttar Pradesh, India
Aftab Alam
Usmani 1 , Pichaimuthu
Gangaiamaran 2 , Ruchi Badola
3 & Syed Ainul
Hussain 4
1–3 Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand 248001, India.
4 Centre for
Biodiversity and Sustainability Science, Plot No. 40, Doon
Officers Enclave, Chandrabani, Dehradun, Uttarakhand
248002, India.
1 aftab.a.usmani@gmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 bnhsgangai@gmail.com, 3 ruchi@wii.gov.in,
4 ainul.hussain@gmail.com
Abstract: Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata
is one of the three species of otters found in India. Photographs from the
Lower Ganga Canal confirmed the presence of the species in the Ganga River in
January of 2021 and 2023. This is the first confirmed record of a Smooth-coated
Otter from the canal network of the middle stretch of the Ganga River. This
observation indicates the rich aquatic and riparian habitat of the Ganga River,
associated canal network along the Upper Ganga River Ramsar
Site that needs to be conserved on priority.
Keywords: Biodiversity, Carnivora,
conservation, distribution, Mammalia, Mustelidae, Narora Barrage.
Editor: Bhargavi Srinivasulu, Zoo Outreach Organisation,
Hyderabad, India. Date of publication: 26 March 2026 (online & print)
Citation: Usmani, A.A., P. Gangaiamaran, R.
Badola & S.A. Hussain (2026). First
photographic record of Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale
perspicillata from the canals in Upper Ganga Ramsar Site, Uttar Pradesh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 18(3): 28573–28577. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10367.18.3.28573-28577
Copyright: © Usmani et al. 2026. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use,
reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing
adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.
Funding: The National Mission for Clean Ganga, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: We would like to acknowledge the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and the Ministry of Jal Shakti for funding the present study. We are grateful to the chief wildlife warden and other forest officials of the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department for providing the necessary permissions and support to undertake the ecological assessment of the Ganga River. We acknowledge the support provided by officials of Narora Atomic Power Station (NAPS) and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India
(NPCIL).
Otters are semi-aquatic mammals
of the family Mustelidae (Hung & Law 2016). Three
species of otters are reported from the Indian subcontinent—Asian Small-clawed
Otter Aonyx cinereus,
Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata, and Eurasian Otter Lutra
lutra (Hussain 1993; Khoo et al. 2021). Otters,
as a top predator of their ecosystems, are highly vulnerable to human-induced
changes in the ecosystem (Peterson & Schulte 2016). The Smooth-coated Otter
is an elusive and amphibious carnivore species (Hussain 1993). It has a
widespread distribution range in India owing to its diverse habitat choices,
ranging from forested rivers and freshwater wetlands to mangroves (Hussain &
Choudhury 1995, 1997). The population of Smooth-coated Otters is believed to
have declined significantly in the past three decades owing to the intentional
killing by fishermen, habitat loss, and destruction (Nawab & Hussain 2012).
Although otters exhibit a higher tolerance towards human presence, they
continue to experience conflict with humans over fish resources and are subject
to indiscriminate killing (Shariff 1984; Foster-Turley 1992). As a result, the
species is listed as ‘Vulnerable’ in the IUCN Red List of Species and Appendix
I of CITES (Hussain & Choudhury 1997; Nawab & Hussain 2012; Peterson
& Schulte 2016; Khoo et al. 2021). Despite the alarming rate of population
declines, the information about otters’ occurrence in India remains sparse and
not well-documented (Hussain & Choudhury 1997; Khoo et al. 2021).
Presently, otter distribution is
fragmented into small populations across its range (Hussain 1999
). Most of the sighting records in the upper gangetic
plains are confined to the Terai Region of Uttarakhand,
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Nepal (Hussain 2002; Nawab & Hussain 2012; Gupta
et al. 2020; Basak et al. 2021). Beyond the Terai Region, scattered populations of Smooth-coated Otters
have been reported from the Ganga River in State Wildlife Barasingha
Sanctuary (formerly Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary), Ghaghara, Girwa, Babai, Rapti,
Chambal rivers and streams of Son River in India and the Narayani
River in Nepal (Hussain 1993; Acharya 1998; Khan et al. 2014; Rathar et al. 2019; Bashyal &
Yadav 2020; Gawan et al. 2022; Acharya et al. 2023).
Materials and Methods
The survey was conducted along
the banks of the Ganga River between Brijghat and Narora (Image 1). The grassland patches and riparian areas
along the Ganga River were surveyed to assess the presence of Smooth-coated
Otter. The stretch of the Ganga River between Brijghat
and Narora is designated as the Upper Ganga River Ramsar Site (Ramsar site no.
1574). The river stretch has fragmented grassland patches along the banks and
on islands. The major vegetation of these grassland patches includes Typha
sp., Phragmites sp., and Sachharum sp.
This stretch of the river is inhabited by the Gangetic Dolphin Platanista gangetica,
76 species of waterbirds, Gharial Gavialis
gangeticus, Mugger Crocodylus
palustris, and six species of turtles (WII-GACMC
2018; Usmani et al. 2025). The major terrestrial
species include Sambar Rusa unicolour, Hog Deer Axis porcinus,
Chital Axis axis, and Leopard Panthera pardus (Usmani 2010).
Previous studies and surveys of
otters in Uttar Pradesh were restricted to the State Wildlife Barasingha Sanctuary, and no rigorous attempt was made to
understand the status of otters in further downstream areas. As a part of the
long-term study to document the biodiversity of the Ganga River and its
tributaries, we conducted boat-based visual encounter surveys to collect
information on the presence of otters. Along with the field information,
secondary information on the presence of the otter was gathered from locals,
especially farmers and fishermen. Photographs of species and their pugmarks
were shown for identification. Google Earth images were used to identify the
potential habitat along the Ganga River. Each patch of potential habitat was
extensively surveyed both by walking and using a boat for otters. The entire
surveyed area was outside the protected area.
Results
An adult otter individual was
seen on the afternoon of 16 January 2023 in the concretized section
of the Lower Ganga Canal approximately 1 km from the Lower Ganga Barrage at Narora, District Bulandshahr,
Uttar Pradesh (28.1740 N, 78.3930 E) (Image 1). The otter
was seen crossing the canal and moving towards the Ganga river (Images 2–4).
Another individual was sighted fishing in the canal on 5 January
2021 (Images 5 & 6), approximately 100 m away from the previous observation
(28.1750 N, 78.3930 E). The Lower Ganga Canal supports a
rich diversity of fish species (n = 15) that constitutes the primary prey base
for otters, and its densely vegetated banks provide suitable shelter and
resting sites for the otters (Nawab & Hussain 2012).
Discussion
Anecdotal sightings of otters
have been reported from the Ganga River in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Indirect
evidence of Smooth-coated Otters was also recorded from the State Wildlife Barasingha Sanctuary (Bashir et al. 2012; Khan et al.
2014). Studies conducted thereafter assumed the otter to be locally extirpated
in the Ganga River downstream of State Wildlife Barasingha
Sanctuary to Kanpur Barrage (Rao 2001). However, recent sightings of
smooth-coated otters in 2021 and 2023 have proved the presence of the species
in the irrigation canal network in the area.
The stretch of the Ganga River
around Narora has abundant sandy banks with gradual
slopes and vegetation cover, which provides a good habitat for smooth-coated
otters. The sites are suitable due to low disturbances, abundant prey base, and
banks with densely covered vegetation (Stephen et al. 2022; Gwachha
et al. 2023; Moun et al. 2024). These factors have
contributed to the survival of the Smooth-coated Otters in this area. The
stretch falls near the exclusion zone of the Narora
Atomic Power Plant (NAPS), which is characterised by
dense vegetation cover, low human disturbances, and a high prey base. The area
is surrounded by agricultural landscapes with interspersed, densely populated
villages and towns with a population density of 836 individuals/km2 (GUP
2021). The canal and the Ganga River in this area are extensively exploited for
fishing using gill nets and cast nets. The common fish fauna of the area
includes Labeo rohita,
Labeo catla, Sperata seenghala,
Puntius sophore, Bagarius
bagarius, and Wallago attu.
Intensive fishing, uncontrolled
burning, occasional sand mining, conversion of grass patches into croplands
along the Ganga River and canal, and intentional killing of otters by the
fisherman community, are the major threats to the otter in the area (Nawab
& Hussain 2012; WII-GACMC 2018). Habitat loss and degradation by the
construction of dams and barrages may further accelerate the extinction threat
of declining otter populations (Nawab 2007). Fragmented habitat patches might
not be sufficient to shelter a functional social otter group or breeding otters
with poor dispersal ability (Collinge 1996; Lambeck 1997).
The Ganga River and associated
aquatic habitat in this area also face a wide range of disturbances, including
occasional cases of poaching, uncontrolled burning, agricultural encroachment,
intensive grazing, and unsustainable vegetation extraction (Hussain &
Choudhury 1997; Nawab & Hussain 2012; Peterson & Schulte 2016; Khoo et
al. 2021). The otter population in this area is highly vulnerable to these
stressors, and conservation interventions are required for the long-term
survival of otters in the region between Narora and
Kanpur. Further, efforts to engage local communities are essential for the
conservation and long-term service of the species. The Upper Ganga Canal
provides stable aquatic habitat with dense riparian vegetation on the banks,
supporting diverse fish assemblages. Water availability fluctuates seasonally
based on the irrigation schedule, with reduced flows during non-cropping
periods limiting habitat extent. Major threats to the canal include intensive
fishing and the introduction of invasive species.
For images
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