Spot-necked Otter (Hydrictis maculicollis) Fact Sheet: Summary

Describer (Date): Lichenstein (1835)

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Mustelidae

Subfamily: Lutrinae

Genus: Hydrictis

Species: Hydrictis maculicollis

Body Weight: 3-6 kg (7-13 lb)

Head/Body Length:
Males - 730 mm (2.4 ft)
Females - 585 mm (1.9 ft)

Tail Length: Average 400 mm (1 ft)

Pelage: Chocolate to reddish brown. Chin and upper lip, white. Two layers of fur: outer guard hairs, undercoat of denser hairs that trap air for insulation.

Range: Sub-Saharan Africa, south of 10° N latitude but not in southern tip of Africa except for KwaZulu-Natal.

Habitat: Freshwater lakes, dams, rivers; not in coastal or marine waters.

IUCN Status: Near Threatened (2020 assessment)

CITES Appendix: Appendix II

Populations in Wild: Declining; status largely unknown.

Locomotion: Agile in water; emerge to sleep, excrete, give birth, and usually to eat their catch. Walk, run 4-5 km/hr (2.5-3.1 mi/hr), gallop 6-7 km/hr (3.7-4.3 mi/hr). Can stand vertically on hind limbs.Can jump a 1 m (3 ft) gap.

Activity Cycle: Mainly diurnal; some populations nocturnal.

Social Groups: Highly variable; some localities with foraging groups of up to 20 individuals, other places have mainly solitary hunting.

Diet: Mostly fish; some crabs, insects and frogs in some fish-poor localities.

Predators: Some reports of predation by Nile crocodile but not well documented.

Sexual Maturity: Females (in managed care) can reproduce at 2 years.

Gestation: about 2 months

Litter Size: 1- 3 cubs/litter

Birth weight: Around 100 g (0.2 lb)

Age at Weaning: 12-18 weeks

Typical Life Expectancy: not reported

Feature Facts

• Flexible body; can touch nose to tail
• Two layers of thick fur keeps otters's body warm in water
• Groom fur by scratching, biting, and by rubbing against grass, rocks, or logs; this activity is vital to their physical and mental health
• Eyes adapted for seeing underwater; poor distance vision above water
• Webbed feet with claws
• Typically forage in small groups
• Uncommon across much of its distribution
• San Diego Zoo's Ituri Forest is one of the few places in North America where spot-necked otters can be seen
• On exhibit, benefit from having other animals to interact with