The most closely related otters: African Clawless and Congo Clawless Otters

The African Clawless Otter (Aonyx capensis) and the Congo Clawless Otter (Aonyx congicus) are very closely related, with some discussion over the years of whether they were actually the same species; additional genetics work is needed to really sort out the genetic divergence (distance) between the 2 species.
To get all science-geeky, most of the hair (fur) samples used have been so poorly preserved that getting genetic information from the samples is difficult, and getting fresh samples is very difficult because sampling (in other words catching) otters is *extremely* difficult in most areas.
Currently the genetics work that has been done (which is very limited) shows a 1.55% divergence between these 2 species... in a sequence that both of these otters show more than a 10% divergence with the other otters they have both been compared to... so that information seems *interesting*!

The African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) is the 2nd largest freshwater otter (the Giant otter is the largest); it can be up to ~64" (1.6 meters) long and weigh ~80 lbs (36kg).

They are usually seen alone or in pairs, but are sometimes seen in groups up to 5 individuals.

The most widely distributed otter in Africa, the African clawless otter is found from South Africa up to Senegal and Ethiopa but is missing from the Congo basin where they are *replaced* by the Congo clawless otter. They are listed as "Near Threatened" by IUCN RedList.


Congo clawless otters (Aonyx congicus) are considered "rare or very rare" and are also listed as "Near Threatened" by IUCN RedList. They live in the central African regions of the Congo basin: Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and portions of countries adjacent:  northern Angola, southern Cameroon, southern Central African Republic, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda. Due to possible mis-identification with the African clawless otter, scientists are is still a bit fuzzy on the Congo clawless' distribution.


It is hard to tell the African clawless and the Congo clawless apart in the wild. Both otters are very similar in size, color, and even in the structure of their feet. In the wild the most obvious difference seems to be that the Congo clawless otter has a ring of white fur surrounding the small dark patch of fur that both species have above their nose and between their eyes.

The Congo clawless otter is slightly smaller than the African clawless, it is ~62" (1.5 m) long and weighs ~75lbs (32 kg)

Very little is known about this otter, as they are rare, but they seem to be the most terrestrial species of otter.