One of the highlights of a trip to the London Wetlands Centre is meeting Tod and Honey, a pair of Asian small-clawed otters. The species is found across South East Asia, from Southern India, southern China and countries further south. These otters are classed as vulnerable to extinction because they face threats from poaching, illegal trafficking for the pet trade, pollution and the loss of their habitat. It is thought that there are only 5,000 of them living in the wild and this number is decreasing. They are the smallest otter species.
Tod is five and he came to London Wetlands centre from the WWT Washington Wetland Centre in Tyne and Wear, where his parents still live. He was paired with Honey on Boxing Day 2018 – she is nine and came from the Welsh Mountain Zoo in North ’s very easy to spot which otter is which. Tod is always active, running and swimming, whereas Honey likes to relax, especially on warm, sunny days. Poor Honey has arthritic knees that make her hop a bit like a rabbit. However, they’re both very inquisitive and love to join the staff whenever they enter the enclosure to tidy up or do some the wild the otters eat primarily crustaceans and mollusks but will also eat fish, insects, amphibians and reptiles. Asian small-clawed otters use their forepaws rather than their mouth to locate and capture food items. Incomplete webbing between the toes gives them a great deal of manual dexterity. They have sensitive digital pads that help them feel under rocks or in murky water for food. They dig in sand and mud at the shoreline for various types of shellfish (clams and mussels) and crabs. To get at the meat, they either crush the shell by hand or let heat from the sun open the shells. Their teeth are broad and robust, well suited for crushing shells.
Size: 5825px × 3889px
Location: London Wetlands centre ,Barnes London ,UK
Photo credit: © Charlie J Ercilla / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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