How many baby African clawless otters are in a litter?
A African clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) usually gives birth to around 2 babies.
Each of those little ones spend around 63 days as a fetus before they are released into the wild. Upon birth, they weight 3 grams (0.01 lbs) and measure 3.7 cm (0′ 2″). They are a member of the Mustelidae family (genus: Aonyx). An adult African clawless otter grows up to a size of 80.9 cm (2′ 8″).
To have a reference: Humans obviously usually have a litter size of one ;). Their babies are in the womb of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks) and reach an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″). They weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual, and reach an average age of 75 years.
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”).
Other animals of the family Mustelidae
African clawless otter is a member of the Mustelidae, as are these animals:
- Striped polecat with 2 babies per pregnancy
- Saharan striped polecat with 2 babies per pregnancy
- Sea otter with 1 babies per pregnancy
- Palawan stink badger weighting around 2.5 kilograms (5.51 lbs)
- Greater grison with 1 babies per pregnancy
- American badger with 2 babies per pregnancy
- North American river otter with 2 babies per pregnancy
- Wolverine with 2 babies per pregnancy
- Humboldt’s hog-nosed skunk with 3 babies per pregnancy
- Yellow-bellied weasel weighting only 264 grams
Animals that share a litter size with African clawless otter
Those animals also give birth to 2 babies at once:
- Red-handed tamarin
- Armored rat
- Soft-spined Atlantic spiny rat
- Red panda
- Andean mouse
- Bobcat
- Lowland ringtail possum
- Gray-cheeked flying squirrel
- Fawn hopping mouse
- Long-tailed mouse
Animals that get as old as a African clawless otter
Other animals that usually reach the age of 11 years:
- Lesser long-nosed bat with 10 years
- Jaguarundi with 10.58 years
- European hare with 12 years
- Eastern bettong with 11.75 years
- Rock cavy with 11 years
- Plantain squirrel with 9.58 years
- Rafinesque’s big-eared bat with 10.08 years
- Edible dormouse with 9 years
- Edible dormouse with 9 years
- Crab-eating fox with 11.5 years
Animals with the same weight as a African clawless otter
What other animals weight around 19.16 kg (42.24 lbs)?
- Zebra duiker usually reaching 15.53 kgs (34.24 lbs)
- Gongshan muntjac usually reaching 18.45 kgs (40.68 lbs)
- Indian muntjac usually reaching 17.51 kgs (38.6 lbs)
- Yellow baboon usually reaching 15.82 kgs (34.88 lbs)
- Mandrill usually reaching 16.74 kgs (36.91 lbs)
- Bornean yellow muntjac usually reaching 18.87 kgs (41.6 lbs)
- Mérida brocket usually reaching 16.5 kgs (36.38 lbs)
- Hairy-fronted muntjac usually reaching 18.45 kgs (40.68 lbs)
- Fea’s muntjac usually reaching 19.9 kgs (43.87 lbs)
- Red-necked wallaby usually reaching 16.83 kgs (37.1 lbs)
Animals with the same size as a African clawless otter
Also reaching around 80.9 cm (2′ 8″) in size do these animals:
- Bobcat gets as big as 69.1 cm (2′ 4″)
- Bonobo gets as big as 75.3 cm (2′ 6″)
- Klipspringer gets as big as 82.4 cm (2′ 9″)
- Ocelot gets as big as 74.6 cm (2′ 6″)
- Blue duiker gets as big as 69.2 cm (2′ 4″)
- Smooth-coated otter gets as big as 78.8 cm (2′ 8″)
- Alpine musk deer gets as big as 90 cm (3′ 0″)
- Wolverine gets as big as 77.3 cm (2′ 7″)
- Lowland paca gets as big as 65 cm (2′ 2″)
- Black-footed gray langur gets as big as 65.5 cm (2′ 2″)