File:Aonyx_capensis,_male,_Shamvura.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
OverviewAI-generated
The African clawless otter, scientifically named *Aonyx capensis*, is a species within the family Mustelidae and order Carnivora. It belongs to the class Mammalia and phylum Chordata, with its parent taxon identified as *Aonyx*. The species has been assigned the authority (Schinz, 1821) and holds an accepted status in taxonomic records. It is also referred to by the common names Nutria Africana, Nutria de Cuello Blanco, and Loutre à joues blanches.
This otter inhabits both marine and freshwater environments. Its diel cycle is described as crepuscular. Reproductive characteristics include a gestation period of 63 days and a typical litter size of 2. The longest observed lifespan for this species is 14.2 years. According to the IUCN Red List, the African clawless otter is classified as Near Threatened, a status recorded in 2021.
Synthesized by Vinony from 23 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, WoRMS, IUCN Red List, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
In the Vinony graph
Vinony's link graph records 587 inbound references to African clawless otter, and connects out to Hyaenidae, sea lion and Phocinae.
It sits within the topics Carnivorans of Africa, Fauna listed on CITES Appendix II and IUCN Red List near threatened species.
Vinony links it to 41 Wikipedia language editions.
Species
Near ThreatenedAfrican clawless otter
Species
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderCarnivora
- FamilyMustelidae
Maximum longevity: 14.2 years (captivity) Observations: One specimen of the *congicus* subspecies lived 14.2 years in captivity (Richard Weigl 2005). Anecdotal reports suggest these animals may live up to 16 years.
via IUCN
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Image
- Cape clawless otters.jpg
Show 9 more facts
- taxon rank
- species
- IUCN conservation status
- Near Threatened
- taxon name
- Aonyx capensis
- Commons category
- Aonyx capensis
- taxon common name
- Vidră africană fără gheare
- gestation period
- 63
- litter size
- 2
- longest observed lifespan
- 14.2
- diel cycle
- crepuscular
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~10 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis), also known as the Cape clawless otter or groot otter, is the second-largest freshwater otter species. It inhabits permanent water bodies in savannah and lowland forest areas through most of sub-Saharan Africa. It is characterised by partly webbed and clawless feet, from which their name is derived. The word 'aonyx' means clawless, derived from the prefix a- ("without") and onyx ("claw/hoof").
Taxonomy
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “African clawless otter” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.