Lutrogale perspicillata

Hwang, Yeen Ten; Larivière, Serge

doi:10.1644/786.1

Cited by 33 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The members of these spatial groups operated separately (spending more than half their time in individual core areas), with the female groups configured around fresh water and rich fishing patches, which in RDH terms were both not easily partitioned but shareable. Similar mechanisms might explain the socioecology of Cape clawless otter, among which total homerange length correlated with mean reed bed (a high-density food patch) nearest neighbour distance (Somers & Nel, 2004), and groups of up to four female hairy-nosed otters in Cambodia (Otter, 2003;Hwang & Larivière, 2005).…”

Section: Does Patch Dispersion Predict Territory Size?mentioning

confidence: 91%

Patchwork planet: the resource dispersion hypothesis, society, and the ecology of life

2015

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Virtually nothing in nature is uniform. Observed at the right scale, most entities are clustered rather than evenly distributed, spatially and temporally, and this applies across domains from the distribution of matter in the universe, to habitats across the Earth's surface, and to energy in the landscape. Patchiness means organisms cannot carve out even territories. Instead, their shape and size depends on the dispersion of materials needed for survival and reproduction. This fundamental feature of life is intrinsically understood in ecology, for example, in the ideal free distribution and optimal foraging theory, and is represented in the anatomy as well as behaviour of organisms via the structures and strategies for moving, finding and capturing these patchy resources. But perhaps most striking of all is the role of patchiness in facilitating the formation of social groups – of societies. The resource dispersion hypothesis (RDH) suggests that where resources are dispersed and rich enough, multiple individuals can collapse into groups that share the same space at little cost to each other. Cooperation may be absent, but sociality is favoured nevertheless. Thirty years after the origin of the hypothesis, we review the accumulating models, critiques, evidence and experiments, concluding that RDH is a pervasive feature of animal spacing patterns across a wide range of species, taxonomic groups and ecosystems. In the spirit of the original objective of the Huxley Reviews to ‘suggest and inspire research that will improve our knowledge in the future’, we also take the opportunity to consider wider implications of the RDH. If we live and evolved on a patchwork planet, then we should expect broader effects. Indeed, we suggest that the RDH has played an important role in the evolution of cooperation, biodiversity, behaviour and, not least, in the social organization of humans in our evolutionary past and today.

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Section: Does Patch Dispersion Predict Territory Size?mentioning

confidence: 91%

Patchwork planet: the resource dispersion hypothesis, society, and the ecology of life

2015

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“…Since then, some authors have considered Lutrogale synonoymous with Lutra (e.g., Chasen 1940) or as a subgenus of Lutra (e.g., Ellerman and Morrison-Scott 1966;Harris 1968;Payne et al 1985) whereas others recognize Lutrogale as a monotypic genus (Pocock 1941;Van Zyll De Jong 1972, 1987Corbet and Hill 1992;Willemsen 1986Willemsen , 1992Wozencraft 2005). Lutrogale is distinguished from Lutra by having a short, smooth pelage, a highly arched skull with large orbits set more anteriorly and laterally, a shortened rostrum, larger teeth, and a tail that is dorsoventrally flattened distally with distinctive integumentary keels (Pohle 1919;Pocock 1941;Harris 1968;Willemsen 1980Willemsen , 1992Hwang and Larivière 2005). The characters of the skull, teeth and tail in Lutrogale are shared with Pteronura (the giant otter, which has a completely keeled tail) and morphometric or cladistic analyses of morphology, as well as comparisons of behavior and vocalizations among lutrines, have suggested a relationship between these genera (Van Zyll de Jong 1972, 1987Duplaix 1980).…”

Section: Phylogenetic Relationships Of Lutrogale Perspicillatamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The pairing of these two species is surprising given their considerable morphological and ecological differences. The body mass of Lutrogale is two to three times larger than that of A. cinerea (7-11 vs. \3.5 kg, respectively) (Larivière 2003; Hwang and Larivière 2005). Lutrogale has well-developed claws and fully webbed forefeet and hindfeet whereas the claws are rudimentary in adults and the feet incompletely webbed in A. cinerea.…”

Section: Phylogenetic Relationships Of Lutrogale Perspicillatamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These features correlate well with the diet and foraging mode of each species. Lutrogale is highly piscivorous, swimming after fish and catching them in their mouths (Kruuk et al 1994;Sivasothi and Nor 1994;Kanchansaka 1997;Hwang and Larivière 2005). In contrast, A. cinerea mainly eats crabs and other shellfish and uses its sensitive forefeet to find its prey under rocks or sediment within rivers and streams (Kruuk et al 1994;Sivasothi and Nor 1994;Kanchansaka 1997;Larivière 2003).…”

Section: Phylogenetic Relationships Of Lutrogale Perspicillatamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Smooth-coated otter has at times been placed in the genus Lutra (e.g., Chasen 1940;Harris 1968). However, classification of Smooth-coated otters into the genus Lutrogale is meant to reflect the distinctive differences in behavior and morphology this species exhibits compared to otters in the genus Lutra (Duplaix 1975;Hwang and Larivière 2005). Different taxonomic classifications for the same set of species can potentially affect conservation priorities and actions by altering the perceived ''evolutionary value'' of taxa (e.g., Avise and Nelson 1989;Daugherty et al 1990;Bowen et al 1991; also see Thompson 1997).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Establishing the foundation for an applied molecular taxonomy of otters in Southeast Asia

et al. 2008

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Four species of otters (Mustelidae, Lutrinae) occur in Southeast Asia and are considered to be of conservation concern: Aonyx cinerea (Asian small-clawed otter), Lutra lutra (Eurasian otter), Lutra sumatrana (Hairy-nosed otter), and Lutrogale perspicillata (Smoothcoated otter). Among these, L. sumatrana is endemic to the region, yet little is known about its biology, and the precise distribution of all four species in Southeast Asia is not well known. Furthermore, the taxonomy and systematics of L. sumatrana and L. perspicillata have been the subject of controversy, which has implications for the legal protection and for conservation programs of these taxa. To resolve these controversies, we used a multigene data set comprised of segments from 13 nuclear and 5 mitochondrial loci (11,180 nucleotides) to evaluate the phylogenetic relationships of Asian Old World otters. Phylogenies were also estimated using two mitochondrial loci (1,832 nucleotides) obtained from two or more individuals of the four Southeast Asian species. The results from maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (showed that L. sumatrana and L. lutra are sister taxa, whereas L. perspicillata is sister to A. cinerea. Furthermore, the results from the two-mitochondrial gene analyses indicate that L. sumatrana is reciprocally monophyletic with respect to L. lutra, supporting the specific validity of the former taxon. Signs such as tracks and feces are often used in field surveys to provide information on the distribution and abundance of otters, but the accuracy of these methods may be compromised when several closely related species occur sympatrically. Therefore, the two-gene data set was used to develop a provisional set of diagnostic nucleotides that can be potentially used to identify the four species of Southeast Asian otters from noninvasively collected biological samples, such as feces.

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The influence of pups on aggressive interactions between smooth‐coated otters and water monitor lizards in Singapore

Bungum

Johns

2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Smooth‐coated otters ( Lutrogale perspicillata ) and Malayan water monitor lizards ( Varanus salvator ) occupy similar habitats and interact regularly in Singapore's waterways. These interactions have a range of potential outcomes and are sometimes lethal. Few formal behavioral studies exist for either species. We analyzed interactions between otters and monitor lizards by gleaning data from publicly available videos from citizen scientists to examine what factors influence aggressive and defensive behaviors and what influences vigilance in otters. Behavioral sequence analysis revealed no obvious monitor lizard behavior that predicted otter aggression toward monitors. We found that the presence and number of otter pups are positively associated with otter aggression. Otters also tended to be more vigilant in groups with more pups and more vigilant on land than water. Monitor lizards almost always displayed aggressive and defensive behaviors, regardless of whether otters were aggressive toward the lizards. These observations suggest that otters vary their aggression and vigilance levels depending on their group composition and the physical environment of their interactions with monitor lizards.

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Lutrogale perspicillata

Cited by 33 publications

References 13 publications

Patchwork planet: the resource dispersion hypothesis, society, and the ecology of life

Patchwork planet: the resource dispersion hypothesis, society, and the ecology of life

Establishing the foundation for an applied molecular taxonomy of otters in Southeast Asia

The influence of pups on aggressive interactions between smooth‐coated otters and water monitor lizards in Singapore

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