Habitat of the Hairy-Nosed Otter


Peat swamp forestThis is from Wright et al (2008) and the references therein, Sivasothi & Nor (1994), Lubis (2005),

The main habitat of this species appears to have always been lowland Melaleuca forest, seasonally flooded, with adjacent watercourses and grassland.  In the past, there was more of this kind of habitat in its geographical range, but the modern expansion of agriculture and urban areas has vastly reduced this.  In Sumatra, the otters seem to have held on as their habitat was replaced with oil palm plantations, making use of swampy areas.

In the past, there have been reports of this species also living in highland evergreen forest (at 3900 feet), and also in coastal mangroves, but because it is hard from a distance to tell a hairy-nosed otter from a smooth-coated otter, the identification may not be accurate.  However, a recent camera trap photo from the Cardamon Mountains in southwest Cambodia does record a hairy-nosed otter in such a habitat.

Hairy-Nosed Otter