First photographic record of the Smooth-coated Otter Lutra perspicillata in Polavaram Forest Range, Andhra Pradesh, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.9921.17.9.27548-27550Keywords:
Godavari River, habitat conservation, Polavaram Dam, Papikonda National Park, ottersAbstract
This study documents the first confirmed photographic record of the Smooth-coated Otter Lutra perspicillata Geoffroy, 1826 within Papikonda National Park located in Andhra Pradesh, India. On 12 June 2024, during systematic field surveys, a team from the Wildlife Institute of India photographed a single L. perspicillata individual resting on a sandbank in the Polavaram Range. This record provides evidence of the L. perspicillata in this stretch of the Godavari River and contributes to the current understanding of its distribution in this area. The sighting also underscores the need for systematic surveys to assess the persistence and habitat use of the L. perspicillata in this previously unrecorded range.
References
Ali, H., R. Saleem, F.M. Qamer, W.A. Khan, S. Abbas, K. Gunasekara, M. Hazarika, M.S. Ahmed & M. Akhtar (2010). Habitat evaluation of Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicilliata) in Indus Plains of Pakistan using remote sensing and GIS. International Archives of the Photometry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Science XXXVII(8 ): 127–132.
Anoop, K.R. & S.A. Hussain (2005). Food and feeding habits of Smooth-coated Otters (Lutra perspicillata) and their significance to the fish population of Kerala, India. Journal of Zoology (London) 266: 15–23. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0952836905006540
Babar, M. & R.D. Kaplay (2018). Godavari River: Geomorphology and Socio-economic Characteristics, pp. 379–396. In: Singh, D. (ed.). The Indian Rivers. Springer Hydrogeology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2984-4_26
Baskaran, N., R.S. Sundarraj & R. Sanil (2022). Population, distribution and diet composition of Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata Geoffroy, 1826 in Hosur and Dharmapuri Forest Divisions, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 14(1): 20469–20477. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.7477.14.1.20469-20477
de Ferran, V., H.V. Figueiro, F. de Jesus Trindade, O. Smith, M.H.S. Sinding, C.S. Trinca, G.Z. Lazzari, G. Veron, J.A. Vianna, F. Barbanera, S. Kliver, N. Serdyukova, T. Bulyonkova, O.A. Ryder, M.T.P. Gilbert, K-P. Koepfli & E. Eizirik (2022). Phylogenomics of the world’s otters. Current Biology 32(16): 3650–3658.
Gautam, A. & S. Kaur (2023). Management and Conservation of Wildlife in India: With Special Reference to Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act, 2022. Indian Journal of Integrated Research in Law 3(III): 1–13.
Hussain, J., I. Husain, M. Arif & N. Gupta (2017). Studies on heavy metal contamination in Godavari River Basin. Applied Water Science 7: 4539–4548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-017-0607-4
Hussain, S.A. (1999). Mustelids, viverrids and herpestids of India: species profile and conservation status. Environmental Information System (ENVIS) Bulletin 2(2): 1–38.
Kantimahanti, M. & A.R. Allaparthi (2017). Records of Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata (Geoffroy, 1826) from the Krishna River Delta of South India. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin 34(1): 58–63.
Khoo, M., S. Basak, N. Sivasothi, P.K. de Silva & I.R. Lubis (2021). Lutrogale perspicillata. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T12427A164579961. https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T12427A164579961.en
Nagulu, V., V.V. Rao, D. Satyanarayana & C. Srinivasulu (1998). Otter records and otter conservation perspectives in Andhra Pradesh, India. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin 15(1): 31–37.
Narasimmarajan, K., M.T. Mathai, M.W. Hayward & S. Palanivel (2024). Diet of smooth-coated otter Lutrogale perspicillata (Geoffroy, 1826) in the Moyar River, Western Ghats, South India. Academia Biology 2024(2): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.20935/AcadBiol6223
Rath, L.P., K. Ashaharraza & S.K. Dash (2023). A Rare Sighting of Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata) in the Mahanadi River, Odisha, India. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin 40(2): 90–95.
Sivakumar, K., J.A. Johnson, N. Gokulakkannan, P. Ray, G. Katlam & P. Bagaria (2014). Assessment of ecological settings and biodiversity values of Papikonda National Park and Indira Sagar (Polavaram) Multipurpose Project Impact Zone in Andhra Pradesh for development of mitigatory measures. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
Tamarapalli, S.C.P. & S. Kolipaka (2022). Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata (Geoffroy, 1826) in the urban landscape of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin 39(1): 22–28.
Trivadi, K. & A. Patel (2022). Smooth-coated Otter Distribution and Report on Illegal Otter Trafficking in Valsad, India. IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin 39(4): 196–201.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Arun Kumar Gorati, Ritesh Vishwakarma, Anukul Nath, Parag Nigam
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
