Otters found in Cambodia
Four species of otter are found in Cambodia, and three of these are found in Tonle Sap lake.
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The Asian Small-Clawed Otter is the smallest and least aquatic otter in the world. They live in large family groups and are very vocal and confident. They eat molluscs, crustaceans other invertebrates.
Their skins are mainly used for traditional medicine and for footwear.
Their numbers are falling all over south-east Asia
This species is familiar to us in zoos.
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The Hairy-Nosed Otter was long thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in the 1990s. It has now been found in four locations world-wide: Vietnam, Thailand, Sumatra and Cambodia. In all cases, population sizes are unknown, but they are rarely seen even in comparison to other otter species. They are fish eaters and about the same size as a Eurasian Otter, but longer and slinkier in shape.
Their skins are valuable and turn up more often in siezed shipments than their relative numbers would suggest.
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The Smooth-Coated Otter is the largest of the otters in Cambodia, being a bit larger than a Eurasian Otter and more robustly built. They are strong swimmers and eat large fish. They live in family groups and are quite vocal.
Their skins are very valuable as they are large, and do not need further processing as they are, as the name suggests, smooth.
Their numbers are falling all over south-east Asia
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The Eurasian Otter is the familiar native otter in the UK, and is the widest ranged species - from Ireland to Kamchatka in Russia. Wide distribution does not mean dense population however, and they are rare in Cambodia. They are strong swimmers and eat medium to small fish.
Many people in south east Asia do not distinguish between these and
Hairy-Nosed otters, particularly as skins.
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