﻿E. LÖNNBERG, ON THE CLAWLESS OTTER OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 9 



ponding organs of the Rhodesia otter. In the latter the 

 cusps are comparatively shorter and blunter, their cutting 

 edges are rather obsolete and the two foremost premolars of 

 either jaw are so much reduced in size that their cusps do 

 not meet. The jaws are tlierefore not so well adapted to 

 fishing. On the other hand the increased size of pm-and of 

 the molars with their stout cusps makes the jaws of the 

 Rhodesia otter admirably suitable for the crushing of a mo- 

 derately härd shelled prey like crabs, which as we now know 

 constitute the main food of this otter. This is the more the 

 case as the musculature of the jaws evidently is rather strong. 

 In the typical Lutra capensis the specialisation has gone 

 further in the same direction in which the Rhodesia otter 

 has developed from the common otter-type. The crushing 

 faculty of the jaws has increased in a high degree. The 

 musculature is much stronger and its bony fulcra in corres- 

 pondence to this much stouter, pm^ and the molars are much 

 broader, the cusps are quite low, rounded, or at least blunt 

 but provided with broad bases. The anterior premolars are 

 still more reduced, pin'^ appears to be rudimentary and is 

 lacking on one side in a skull from Natal. The jaws of the 

 typical Lutra capensis appear thus to constitute a very effec- 

 tive implement for the cracking and crushing of some hard- 

 shelled prey. The habits of the Cape otter appear to be very 

 little known. W. L. Sclater supposes ^ that »it resembles 

 the European species in this respect» and that »the food 

 doubtless consists chiefly of fish». From the structure of its 

 dentition etc. I am, however, inclined to assume that it 

 principally feeds on molluscs. Mr. Sandberg has told 

 me that he has found crabs and molluscs in the ventricle of 

 the Cape otter. It would be very gratifying if sportsmen in 

 South Africa who may ha ve the opportunity of shooting this 

 animal would take the trouble of examining the contents of 

 the ventricle of a great number of specimens to ascertain on 

 what they had fed, and I do not doubt that in the majority 

 of cases they will find molluscs. Of course, this Clawless 

 Cape otter may prey on fish and other animals, too, but I 

 think that the structure of the skull and the dentition ex- 

 hibits an adaptation to a moUuscivorous diet and it 



.^ 1. c. p. 108. 

 Arkiv föl- zoologi. Band 4. N:o 12. 



