Mammal
Japanese Otter
Lutra nipponAlso known as Japanese River Otter
Japanese otters were semi-aquatic predators that navigated clean freshwater streams, coastal estuaries, and inland wetlands across Japan. Primarily active under the cover of night, they used sensitive facial whiskers to track fast-swimming fish and river crabs through cold water. Heavy exploitation for their dense, waterproof fur combined with rapid river industrialization pushed the species to extinction during the late twentieth century.
Semi-AquaticCarnivore
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyAyu, Japanese Freshwater Crab, Japanese Tree Frog
Predators
- Japanese Wolf
- Feral Dog
ThreatsHistorical commercial fur trapping, pollution, and river damming
HabitatsRivers, clear streams, coastal inlets, and estuaries
Life span10–15 years
Classification
- OrderCarnivora
- FamilyMustelidae
- GenusLutra
- SpeciesLutra nippon
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Extinct; no longer encountered in the wild.
Responsible observation
- Museum Collections: Observe historical mounts and skeletons in regional Japanese natural history museums.
- Habitat Conservation: Support watershed remediation initiatives that protect historic river systems for surviving wildlife.
Close Relative Bernard Landgraf / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Same Family Marshal Hedin from San Diego / CC BY-SA 2.0 · cc-by-sa
Same Family "Asian Small-Clawed Otter" by SidPix is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. · cc-by
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