Of the four otter species that occur in Borneo, the Asian Small-clawed Otter Aonyx cinerea  is both the smallest and the most common. Being the smallest otter allows this species to survive in small forest streams feeding on crabs, snails, frogs  and small fish, whereas the Smooth Otter can only survive in large streams and rivers with an abundance of large fish. Both the Smooth Otter and the Small-clawed otter occur together on  most undisturbed rivers throughout Borneo. Typical locations  where you can see both Small-clawed and Smooth otters include the Kinabatangan River, Danum River and the Lipad (Tabin) river in Sabah and the Temburong River in Brunei.

All photos  in this article are of of a captive male Small-clawed Otter at a breeding colony at the London Wetland Centre ,UK.

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Small-clawed Otters are about the size of a cat. They are very sociable and live and breed in family groups of up to 12 individuals.
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The longitudinal grooves in the wet fur reduce water turbulence  and  water resistance  allowing these otters to swim extremely fast.
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Note that there are two sets of whiskers, a pair on each side of the mouth. These whiskers are highly sensitive and assist in catching slippery prey trying to escape.
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The front paws are shaped like fingers  without webs and are used both for catching prey and holding prey for eating. The rear paws are  half-webbed to assist with swimming.
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SE Asia including Borneo  is the world centre of otter diversity  with 4 separate species present  in some areas.

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