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CARNIVORES. 
Habits. 
Feline Otter. 
In some of the South American rivers these otters may be met 
with in large companies, and they differ from most other species in 
being purely diurnal, commencing their hunting with the dawn of day and con¬ 
tinuing till nightfall. When in such companies, the otters utter a kind of whistling 
sound, which is said to have some resemblance to the mewing of cats. Hensel 
states that, when travelling on the Brazilian rivers in a canoe, the voyager, when 
shooting out from beneath the overhanging branches of a tree, may often see a 
number of black objects in the water, which at his approach tend to collect together. 
Careful observation will show that these are otters, but by the time the canoe has 
reached the spot where they were first seen all will have disappeared. Soon, 
however, the traveller’s ears are struck by a peculiar snorting sound, and, as he 
looks around, he sees the water on all sides dotted with the dark heads of the giant 
otters, which, with a second snort, disappear again as quick as lightning beneath 
the surface. 
The feline otter ( L. felina) is, on the other hand, one of the 
smallest members of the group, agreeing approximately in size with 
the Indian clawless otter. It is characterised by its relatively short face and its 
light and delicate teeth, the inner tubercle of the upper flesh-tooth being much 
smaller than in the other species from the same regions. This species also 
differs from other otters in being almost exclusively marine in its habits. In 
regard to its distribution, Mr. O. Thomas states that “in the Southern Hemi¬ 
sphere it extends to the Straits of Magellan, where its range meets that of the 
larger Brazilian otter. Thence northward it is exceedingly common along the 
coasts of Patagonia and Chili, where the complex labyrinths of gulfs and channels 
are highly favourable to its manner of life.” It has been found in Peru and 
Ecuador. 
In regard to the naked-nosed and flat-headed South American otters, inter¬ 
mediate in size between the two last species, there is still much uncertainty, but 
they are all provisionally included under the name of L. paranensis. 
Smooth Indian In addition to the common European otter, which, as we have 
otter - already seen, is represented by a variety in India, there are three 
Indian and Malayan representatives of the group. The first of these species is the 
smooth Indian otter ( L. macrodus), readily distinguished from the common otter by 
the upper border of the naked portion of the muzzle forming a straight line, while 
the fur is very smooth and short. Then, again, the skull is less depressed and 
flattened, and the molar and flesh-tooth in the upper jaw are very large, the latter 
differing from the corresponding tooth of the common species by the larger 
proportionate size of the tubercular portion on the inner side of the blade. This 
otter is found all over India, and also extends to Burma, the Malay Peninsula, and 
Sumatra. Its habits appear to be very similar to those of the common otter, and, 
like the latter, it is trained for fishing. 
Hairy-Nosed The hairy-nosed otter ( L. sumatrana ) is a very well-marked 
otter. species from the Malayan region, distinguished, as its name implies, 
by the muzzle being completely covered with hair; the inner tubercle of the upper 
flesh-tooth being relatively small. A closely-allied extinct species ( L. pcilceindica ) 
occurs in the Siwalik Hills of Northern India. 
