African Clawless Otter

About the African Clawless Otter

The African clawless otter (Lutra capensis), also known as the Cape clawless otter or groot otter, is the second-largest freshwater otter species. It inhabits permanent water bodies in savannah and lowland forest areas through most of sub-Saharan Africa. It is characterised by partly webbed and clawless feet, from which their name is derived. The word 'aonyx' means clawless, derived from the prefix a- ("without") and onyx ("claw/hoof").

Aonyx capensis is a member of the weasel family (Mustelidae) and of the order Carnivora. The earliest known species of otter, Potamotherium valetoni, occurred in the upper Oligocene of Europe: A. capensis first appears in the fossil record during the Pleistocene. Aonyx is closely related to the extinct giant Sardinian otter, Megalenhydris.

Mammal Species of the World lists six subspecies of the African clawless otter: A. c. capensis (Schinz, 1821) A. c. hindei (Thomas, 1905) A. c. meneleki (Thomas, 1903) A. c. microdon (Pohle, 1920) A. c. philippsi (Hinton, 1921)

Until recently the Congo clawless otter was considered a subspecies as well, but recent authorities treat it as a separate species A. congicus. Wikipedia →