The Thai hairy-nosed Otter
The
hairy-nosed otter (
Lutra sumatrana) is one of the rarest
otter species on earth, and was thought to be extinct in 1998 as there had been no sightings for many years, but a tiny number of populations have been rediscovered since then.
At present, it is believed to live mainly in two nature reserves in
Vietnam, Toa Daeng peat swamp forest in southern
Thailand, and in
Sumatra, the place for which it was named. It was rediscovered in 2005. It was also rediscovered in Tonle Sap Lake,
Cambodia. Even from these places, they are known from a tiny number of sightings and some roadkill, and from skins.