Smooth-coated otter
Lutrogale perspicillata (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1826)
The smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata), also called the Indian smooth-coated otter, is a mammal in the family Mustelidae and subfamily Lutrinae, within the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized carnivore with an adult body mass of 9.5 kg, active by day and terrestrial in lifestyle, with shrubland listed as its habitat.
Quick facts about the smooth-coated otter
Gestation lasts 63 days, litters average 4.1 young, and sexual maturity comes at 2.5 years. The IUCN Red List assesses the smooth-coated otter as Vulnerable (VU), a threatened category, and its lifespan is given as 17.7 years, with values up to 20 years.
- Weight
- 8.96 kg – 9.48 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 17.7 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Carnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 20 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 63 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.12src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2.5 years – 2.58 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the smooth-coated otter
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the smooth-coated otter live?
Not recorded
What is the smooth-coated otter?
The smooth-coated otter (Lutra perspicillata) is a freshwater otter species from regions of South and Southeast Asia, with a disjunct population in Iraq, with the majority of its numbers found in Southeast Asia. It has been ranked as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996, as it is threatened by habitat loss, pollution of wetlands and poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. As the common name indicates, its fur is relatively smooth, and somewhat shorter in length than that of other otter species.
From the Wikipedia article “Smooth-coated otter” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smooth-coated_otter&oldid=1379699356), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the smooth-coated otter sound like?
Is the smooth-coated otter endangered?
The smooth-coated otter is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.
How is the smooth-coated otter classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyMustelidae
- genusLutrogale
- SpeciesLutrogale perspicillata (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1826)
Synonyms Lutra perspicillata, Lutrogale macrodus
Other names and names in other languages (6)
- Indian smooth-coated otterEnglish
- Indian smooth-coated otterEnglish
- Nutria LisaSpanish
- Nutria SimungSpanish
- Loutre d'AsieFrench
- duz kurklu susamuruTurkish
Relatives of the smooth-coated otter
Other species in the same family Mustelidae.
European badger
Meles meles
Least weasel
Mustela nivalis
Eurasian otter
Lutra lutra
Stoat
Mustela erminea
Wolverine
Gulo gulo
European pine marten
Martes martes
CompareSmooth-coated otter vs European badgerSmooth-coated otter vs Least weaselSmooth-coated otter vs Eurasian otterSmooth-coated otter vs Stoat
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the smooth-coated otter?
The smooth-coated otter is a mammal in the family Mustelidae and subfamily Lutrinae, in the order Carnivora.
How heavy is a smooth-coated otter?
An adult smooth-coated otter weighs 9.5 kg, which places it in the medium size class.
What does the smooth-coated otter eat?
The smooth-coated otter is a carnivore.
Is the smooth-coated otter endangered?
The smooth-coated otter is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
How long does a smooth-coated otter live?
Its lifespan is given as 17.7 years, with values up to 20 years reported.
How many young does a smooth-coated otter have?
A smooth-coated otter litter averages 4.1 young, after a gestation of 63 days.
When does a smooth-coated otter reach sexual maturity?
It reaches sexual maturity at 2.5 years, with reported values from 2.5 to 2.6 years.
Who named the smooth-coated otter?
The name Lutrogale perspicillata is credited to (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1826).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/smooth-coated-otter
“Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/smooth-coated-otter.
@misc{smooth_coated_otter_2026,
title = {Smooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/smooth-coated-otter},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}