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.
