African clawless otter
| African clawless otter | |
|---|---|
| On the banks of the Okavango River, Namibia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Mustelidae |
| Genus: | Aonyx Lesson, 1827 |
| Species: | A. capensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Aonyx capensis (Schinz, 1821) | |
| African clawless otter range | |
| Synonyms | |
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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").