Spot-necked Otter (Hydrictis maculicollis) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat

(IUCN Redlist 2008)

• Mainly central Africa, south of Sahara Desert (10° N)
• Also, the Natal region of eastern South Africa
• Areas where occurrence unclear
  • Possibly on Bioko Island off Cameroon coast
  • Possibly extinct in Burundi, Ghana, Lesotho, Togo
  • Absent from Swaziland

• Inhabit only fresh water environments
  • Never found in coastal or marine waters
• Large rivers, lakes, dams, and swamps with plentiful fish
  • Such as the Okavango Delta of Botswana, Lake Muhazi in Rwanda, Rubondo Island in Lake Victoria, Kenya. (IUCN Redlist 2008) (Kruuk 2006)
• Prefer to forage near-shore amidst reeds and other vegetation. (Kruuk 2006)
• Avoid sandy beaches, grassy shorelines, steep cliffs. (Perrin & D'Inzillo Carranza)(Kruuk 2006)
• Need long grasses, reeds, or bushes, tree roots, and rocks along water edges for shelter when resting.
  • Sleeping sites under and between boulders on shorelines may be accessed from underwater. (Procter 1963, Kruuk 2006)
• In the Drakensberg escarpment, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, use swamps in dry season (in wet season, no resting places); grasslands occupied in wet season. (Perrin 2000)
• Unpolluted and crocodile-free waters (Lejune & Frank 1990)
• Altitudes up to 2,500 m (8202 ft)

Spot-Necked Otter Distribution.

Adapted from www-d.-maps.com according to IUCN fact sheet. Click here or on map for detailed distribution (IUCN).

IUCN Redlist (2008)
Kruuk (2006)
Perrin & D'Inzillo Carranza
Procter (1963)
Rowe-Rowe (1990,1995)