scholarly journals The Near Threatened Eurasian otter Lutra lutra in Morocco: no sign of recovery

Oryx ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Delibes ◽  
Javier Calzada ◽  
Miguel Clavero ◽  
Néstor Fernández ◽  
Carlos Gutiérrez-Expósito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Distribution Pattern ◽  
Environmental Policies ◽  
General Distribution ◽  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
River Bank ◽  
High Atlas ◽  
Eurasian Otter ◽  
Western Morocco ◽  
Near Threatened

AbstractAlthough the Near Threatened Eurasian otter Lutra lutra has been recovering in Europe since the 1980s nothing is known about population trends of the species in northern Africa. Ninety sites was searched for signs of otters in northern and western Morocco in 1983 and we repeated this survey in 2011. At each site we searched for otter spraints (faeces) or clear footprints along a maximum of 600 m of river bank, ending the search when the first sign was found. Overall results were strikingly similar in 1983 and 2011, with 36 positive sites and the same general distribution pattern of the species. Healthy otter populations appear to remain in the foothills of the Middle and High Atlas but the trend of populations disappearing from the relatively flat Atlantic slope has increased. The results are in clear contrast with the recovery of otter populations in Europe, probably because of differences in the implementation of environmental policies, especially regarding water pollution.

scholarly journals Eurasian otter Lutra lutra in developing countries: a resurvey of Albania 22 years after the fall of communism

Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 368-373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Balestrieri ◽  
Simone Messina ◽  
Francesca Pella ◽  
Claudio Prigioni ◽  
Nicola Saino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Economies ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
Potential Importance ◽  
Eurasian Otter ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
The Status ◽  
Near Threatened ◽  
Human Density ◽  
Habitat Variables

AbstractIn countries with emerging and developing economies the need to promote development and the lack of information on the status of the Near Threatened Eurasian otter Lutra lutra have given rise for concern about the conservation status of the species. In Albania information about the distribution of this otter dates from 1985. In 2013 we resurveyed 31 sites previously surveyed in 1985, and a further 42 sites throughout the country. At each site nine habitat variables of potential importance to otters were recorded and analysed. Overall the distribution pattern in 2013 did not differ from that recorded in 1985, although a reduction in marking intensity suggested a possible decline in otter numbers. Distribution of the otter has been influenced by land use and human density, suggesting man-induced habitat changes since the fall of communism may have affected the quality and fragmentation of otter habitats.

Pulmonary hair embolism in a rescued free-ranging Eurasian otter Lutra lutra in Kinmen, Taiwan

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. 55-61
Author(s):  
WT Li ◽  
YL Chiang ◽  
TY Chen ◽  
CL Lai
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Body ◽  
Traumatic Injury ◽  
Lung Parenchyma ◽  
Giant Cells ◽  
Hair Shaft ◽  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
Lung Lobe ◽  
Eurasian Otter ◽  
Foreign Body Giant Cells ◽  
Free Ranging

Eurasian otters Lutra lutra are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List and are imperiled by habitat loss, water pollution, and poaching. Harassment and attacks by stray animals are also recognized threats to the health of wild Eurasian otters. Pulmonary hair embolism is a possible complication in animals with deep traumatic injury, but to date no cases have been reported in wildlife. A free-ranging, adult male Eurasian otter was rescued due to severe emaciation and multiple bite wounds. The otter died 3 d after rescue and was necropsied. Grossly, a 1.5 × 1.5 × 1.5 cm firm nodule was observed in the left cranial lung lobe. Histologically, a fragment of hair shaft surrounded by multinucleated foreign body giant cells was observed in a medium-sized vein, and extensive eosinophilic infiltration was noted in the adjacent vascular wall and lung parenchyma. Based on the gross and histological findings, the pulmonary lesion was consistent with eosinophilic pneumonia and vasculitis induced by hair embolism. The presence of well-formed multinucleated foreign body giant cells and eosinophils may imply a late stage of foreign body reaction, and thus the presumptive source of hair embolism is an animal bite. This is the first report of pulmonary hair embolism associated with animal bite in a rescued free-ranging Eurasian otter.

Distribution and diet of recovering Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) along the natural-to-urban habitat gradient (river Segura, SE Spain)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ettore Emanuele Dettori ◽  
Alessandro Balestrieri ◽  
Victor Manuel Zapata-Perez ◽  
Daniel Bruno ◽  
Nuria Rubio-Saura ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Habitat ◽  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
Se Spain ◽  
Eurasian Otter ◽  
Habitat Gradient

scholarly journals Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) diet as an early indicator of recovery in defaunated river communities

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 ◽  
pp. 106547
Author(s):  
Marta Narváez ◽  
Sonia Cabezas ◽  
Francisco Blanco-Garrido ◽  
Raquel Baos ◽  
Miguel Clavero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
Early Indicator ◽  
Eurasian Otter ◽  
River Communities

scholarly journals Update on the Geographic Distribution of Lutra lutra at the Romanian Black Sea Coast

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 413-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniyar Memedemin ◽  
Marian Tudor ◽  
Dan Cogălniceanu ◽  
Marius Skolka ◽  
Gabriel Bănică ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
Black Sea Coast ◽  
European Otter ◽  
First Time ◽  
The City ◽  
Near Threatened ◽  
Sea Coast

Abstract We report the occurrence of the European otter (Lutra lutra Linnaeus, 1758) along the entire Romanian Black Sea coast, for the first time. Several sightings were within the harbor and the city of Constanţa, indicating that the otter can accommodate to and tolerate high human impact. The report is based on observations made between 2012 and 2015. The species has been previously reported from all Romanian regions but not from the Black Sea coast. The occurrences reported within this article confirm an extension of the range of this Near Threatened species on the Romanian Black Sea coast, most probably due to the increasing of population size from other sources such as the Danube floodplain.

scholarly journals Hydrological stability and otter trophic diversity: a scale-insensitive pattern?

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (10) ◽  
pp. 1152-1158 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Clavero ◽  
J. Prenda ◽  
F. Blanco-Garrido ◽  
M. Delibes
Keyword(s):  
Iberian Peninsula ◽  
Fish Consumption ◽  
Aquatic Ecosystems ◽  
Fish Populations ◽  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
Mediterranean Streams ◽  
Diet Diversity ◽  
Trophic Diversity ◽  
Eurasian Otter ◽  
The Stability

Two recent works related Eurasian otter ( Lutra lutra (L., 1758)) trophic patterns over large areas with the stability of aquatic ecosystems. Higher levels of instability lead to reduced availability and (or) predictability of fish, and consequently, to a decrease in fish consumption by otters. The aim of the present study is to test these macrogeographical patterns in otter diet at regional and local scales. We analysed otter diet in Mediterranean streams in southwestern Iberian Peninsula where clear hydrological stability gradients (related to drainage area or distance to the sea) could be defined. Hydrological stability was directly related to fish consumption and inversely to otter diet diversity in terms of occurrence and biomass, both at regional and local scales. The level of stability of aquatic ecosystems appears to be a critical indirect factor that modulates otter diet through its effects on fish populations. The resulting trophic patterns are maintained from local to macrogeographical scales.

scholarly journals Factors influencing genotyping success and genotyping error rate of Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) faeces collected in temperate Central Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia Sittenthaler ◽  
Eva Maria Schöll ◽  
Christoph Leeb ◽  
Elisabeth Haring ◽  
Rosemarie Parz-Gollner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influential Factors ◽  
Lutra Lutra ◽  
Sample Treatment ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Allelic Dropout ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Eurasian Otter ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Elusive Species

AbstractThe use of non-invasively collected DNA source material for genetic and genomic applications is usually characterized by low target DNA concentration and quality, genotyping errors and cost-intensive lab procedures. However, for otters (Lutrinae) as elusive species of conservation concern, genetic non-invasive sampling has become an important tool to study their ecology and demography. To increase cost-efficiency of monitoring programmes and to promote the expansion of genomic approaches to non-invasive samples, we aimed to refine sample collection and preparation. Therefore, we examined the effects of intrinsic sample characteristics (including diet), environmental conditions in the field and sample treatment in the molecular laboratory on the success of genotyping and allelic dropout (ADO) rates using microsatellite markers in 1970 fresh Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) scats. Using fresh samples only, we probably eliminated one of the most important impediments of genotyping DNA from otter faecal samples beforehand. But, we observed higher genotyping success and lower ADO rates for anal glad secretions and faecal samples containing high proportions of mucus. Moist conditions during sample collection may promote DNA degradation and PCR inhibition, leading to decreased genotyping success rates. ADO was further affected by the type of extraction kit. However, a high proportion of variance remaining unexplained by our models implied that additional parameters were acting (amount of PCR inhibitors, non-uniform distribution of intestinal cells, efficiency of PCRs, specific microclimate at marking sites). We summarized influential factors maximizing genotyping quality of otter scats and give recommendations for sample collection, storage and DNA extraction based on our results and current literature.

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