Smooth Coated Otters - Journey To Their Abode

By Tharangini

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The morning was already well spent watching flamingos from the most scientifically and delicately balanced boat. Our weights were equally distributed and even a single untoward movement would have sent the entire boatload for a nice dip in the Tungabhadra backwaters. As the only one of the entire lot, whose swimming skills had not progressed much beyond the doggy style paddling, I think I was the bravest to undertake this adventure. But that is a story for another day.

Flamingos in Tungabhadra Backwaters

After an eventful and adventurous morning among the slush, flamingos and a lot of fun, Vijay, myself and Pompayya sir had just sat for lunch in a roadside Dhaba when Ankit, who was doing his doctorate on otters, called to confirm we could try our luck in spotting the otters too. 

Little did I know the afternoon adventure would make the morning feel like a stroll in the park. But otters was the only word we needed to hear and we were immediately game.

This was going to be a rare chance to learn more about the keystone species of the riverine ecosystem in their prime habitat. Brimming with excitement, that was a perfect dessert for our lunch, we headed towards the otters. 

The Journey And The Terrain

The smooth tar roads were soon left behind to meet the ups and downs of the rough terrain that were most certainly not post-lunch travel friendly. After a brief stop to find our guy who would take us on a coracle ride for our rendezvous with the Otters, we headed towards the Tungabhadra. 

Otters on the bank
of Tungabhadra

Otters happen to be supremely intelligent, playful and curious creatures. As much as we love to know more about them, they also study us and learn new tricks of the trade by just observing us. But before we could see them we had to navigate their terrain to reach them. And I was not prepared for what was to come. 

Tungabhadra had left no stone un-turned in of buffing and smoothing the rocks, leaving small pools and carving them with impeccable finesse. The sea of rocks that rose and fell like tides turned the entire area into a heaven for the otters. Every nook and cranny was the otters' playground with perfect hiding places providing plenty of safety and food.

No wonder Tungabhadra did not make it easy for others to access her banks. As I saw Ankit, our boatman and others clamber up and down the undulating rocks to reach the banks, my stomach did an inward somersault. My footwear was not made for the daunting challenge she posed before us.  With my footwear in hand and help from my fellow travelers, I finally reached the coracle.

Lesser Known Significance Of Otters

There was a bit of otter scat on the rocks. This was good news since it meant that the otters were nearby. Though Tungabhadra is home to both Smooth Coated and Short Clawed Otters, today we were going to see only the former. 

The otter scat meant more than just an indication of their presence in the area. They are social animals who take their scat very seriously. Though they feed in water, they make sure to defecate only on land. Makes sense to not do both in the same place.

By eating in water and leaving the scat on land they create a cycle of minerals from one ecosystem to another. But this is also significant to mark territories, recognize their family and friends, keep outsiders at bay and unknowingly help the land immensely. I was a lot more wiser about the scat of the matter, before we got onto our ride in the coracle, thanks to Ankit. 

A family of Otters

A family of otters may include a breeding pair and three to four pups from the previous breeding season. Each family tends to have a territory of 7 to 12 kms as their hunting zone. That much area to protect is going to need a whole lot of scat. 

A family of Otters, while protecting their territory, are more than capable of sending even a crocodile scurrying away, with their ferocity.

The mid-afternoon sun was smiling upon us with utter glee. Soaked in the humidity, Ankit, Vijay and me gingerly climbed on to the coracle, adjusting our weights while our boatman climbed in last. I realized that the time of the day had not deterred our guy from being in high spirits, literally. I said a small prayer as we pushed away from the banks into a water hyacinth filled river. For someone not knowing swimming, I was taking an awful lot of risks for one day.

Meet me in Part II for the unexpected adventure, sightings and more... 

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