How big does a African clawless otter get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) reaches an average size of 80.9 cm (2′ 8″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). Usually, they reach an age of 11 years. A full-grown exemplary reaches roughly 19.16 kg (42.24 lbs). A African clawless otter has 2 babies at once. The African clawless otter (genus: Aonyx) is a member of the family Mustelidae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis), also known as the Cape clawless otter or groot otter, is the second-largest freshwater species of otter. African clawless otters are found near permanent bodies of water in savannah and lowland forest areas. They range through most of sub-Saharan Africa, except for the Congo River basin and arid areas. They are characterized 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”).
Animals of the same family as a African clawless otter
We found other animals of the Mustelidae family:
- Cameroon clawless otter with a size of 83.7 cm (2′ 9″)
- American hog-nosed skunk with 3 babies per litter
- Back-striped weasel with a size of 28.7 cm (1′ 0″)
- Molina’s hog-nosed skunk with a size of 21.1 cm (0′ 9″)
- Steppe polecat with a size of 43.5 cm (1′ 6″)
- Striped hog-nosed skunk with 3 babies per litter
- Marine otter with a size of 67.8 cm (2′ 3″)
- Long-tailed weasel with a size of 23 cm (0′ 10″)
- Bornean ferret-badger with 2 babies per litter
- Neotropical otter with a size of 60.2 cm (2′ 0″)
Animals with the same size as a African clawless otter
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as African clawless otter:
- Mandrill with a size of 75.8 cm (2′ 6″)
- Moor macaque with a size of 66 cm (2′ 2″)
- Bobcat with a size of 69.1 cm (2′ 4″)
- White-bellied duiker with a size of 94 cm (3′ 2″)
- Side-striped jackal with a size of 74.7 cm (2′ 6″)
- Dwarf musk deer with a size of 90 cm (3′ 0″)
- Southern hairy-nosed wombat with a size of 85.5 cm (2′ 10″)
- Collared peccary with a size of 88.6 cm (2′ 11″)
- Steenbok with a size of 82.4 cm (2′ 9″)
- Crab-eating fox with a size of 65 cm (2′ 2″)
Animals with the same litter size as a African clawless otter
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (2) as a African clawless otter:
- Asian black bear
- Blanford’s fox
- Kodkod
- Southern African spiny mouse
- Common echymipera
- Natal multimammate mouse
- Baird’s pocket gopher
- Black-tailed jackrabbit
- Lion
- White-bellied mosaic-tailed rat
Animals with the same life expectancy as a African clawless otter
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a African clawless otter:
- Pygmy hog with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Desmarest’s hutia with an average maximal age of 11.33 years
- Southern tree hyrax with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Brown mouse lemur with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Horsfield’s tarsier with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Long-footed potoroo with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Banded linsang with an average maximal age of 10.67 years
- Fisher (animal) with an average maximal age of 10.08 years
- Long-tailed porcupine with an average maximal age of 10.08 years
- Long-nosed potoroo with an average maximal age of 12 years
Animals with the same weight as a African clawless otter
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Aonyx capensis:
- Peters’s duiker with a weight of 18.94 kilos (41.76 lbs)
- Red-necked wallaby with a weight of 16.83 kilos (37.1 lbs)
- Hairy-fronted muntjac with a weight of 18.45 kilos (40.68 lbs)
- Mandrill with a weight of 16.74 kilos (36.91 lbs)
- Guinea baboon with a weight of 18.03 kilos (39.75 lbs)
- Bornean yellow muntjac with a weight of 18.87 kilos (41.6 lbs)
- Lesser capybara with a weight of 21.27 kilos (46.89 lbs)
- Dhole with a weight of 15.85 kilos (34.94 lbs)
- Grey rhebok with a weight of 22.62 kilos (49.87 lbs)
- Black duiker with a weight of 19 kilos (41.89 lbs)