---
title: "Asian Small-clawed Otter"
description: "Lutra cinerea — Mammals. The Asian small-clawed otter (Lutra cinerea), also called oriental small-clawed otter and small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/asian-small-clawed-otter
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Asian Small-clawed Otter

> Lutra cinerea — Mammals. The Asian small-clawed otter (Lutra cinerea), also called oriental small-clawed otter and small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia.

- Scientific name: *Lutra cinerea*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `freshwater` (Lakes & rivers)
- iNaturalist observations: 1060
- iNaturalist taxon: [1638835](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1638835)

## Names

- en: Asian Small-clawed Otter
- de: Kurzkrallenotter
- es: Nutria Inerme Asiatica
- fr: Loutre cendrée

## Countries with the most observations

ID (73), MY (52), TH (37), IN (35), BD (31), VN (8), PH (3)

## Summary

The Asian small-clawed otter (Lutra cinerea), also called oriental small-clawed otter and small-clawed otter, is an otter species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the only species of the subgenus Amblonyx in the genus Lutra. It has short claws that do not extend beyond the pads of its webbed digits. With a total body length of 730 to 960 mm (28.6 to 37.6 in), and a maximum weight of 3.5 kg (7.7 lb), it is the smallest otter species.
The Asian small-clawed otter lives in riverine habitats, freshwater wetlands and mangrove swamps. It feeds on molluscs, crabs and other small aquatic animals. It lives in pairs…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_small-clawed_otter

## Photo

![Asian Small-clawed Otter](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/asian-small-clawed-otter/medium.jpg)

Photo: James Eaton · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/198712258

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/asian-small-clawed-otter?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).