Otters in India.pptx

The presentation talks about three different species of Otters found in India - their ecology, status, conservation efforts and threats. This was presented as a part of a 2-credit course during my Master's course.

1. OTTERS IN INDIA

2. - Shy mammals. - Habitat: Marine to Freshwater. - Crepuscular.

3. Family : Mustelidae S MALL-CLAWED OTTER Aonyx cinerea

4. Family : Mustelidae SMOOTH-COATED OTTER Lutrogale perspicillata

5. Family : Mustelidae EURASIAN OTTER Lutra lutra

6. SMALL-CLAWED OTTER

7. EURASIAN OTTER

8. WESTERN GHATS IS HOME TO THE EURASIAN OTTERS! Confirmation comes after 70 years! - Source: The Hindu.

9. SMOOTH COATED OTTER

10. Threats Loss of wetland habitats due to construction of large-scale hydroelectric projects. C onversion of wetlands for settlements and agriculture. R eduction in prey biomass. Poaching and contamination of waterways by pesticides. Poaching for pelt and other body parts that are believed to possess therapeutic properties. Few nomadic hunting tribes eat otter flesh.

11. Karnataka’s otter reserve: An initiative that needs more work Karnataka initiated Otter conservation by declaring 34 km along the Tungabhadra as a reserve. This action created an area where the otter habitat can be conserved. More follow-up action is needed to build on this initiative to conserve the smooth-coated and small-clawed otter population.

12. Survey is a must! Similar physical features make it very difficult to identify otter species in the wild. Detailed surveys and studies to ascertain this are the need of the hour. Otter road kills — caused by increasing fragmentation of forests and modification of their original habitats — are becoming increasingly common now.

13. Thanks!