FIRST PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF THE EURASIAN OTTER, Lutra lutra, IN AN INLAND SALINE LAKE OF THE TIBETAN PLATEAU, CHINA.

The Eurasian otter Lutra lutra is a widespread carnivore of aquatic ecosystems native to Eurasia and Palaearctic Africa, while knowledge about its ecology and distribution in the Tibetan Plateau, particularly within the inland drainage systems is still limited. Recent camera-trap records verify its occurrence in a salt-lake basin, the Siling Co in the Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is the first time this species has been photographed in this unique high-elevational habitat (4,572 meters above sea level). Conservation decision makers should immediately improve local management for this species in the region. In this unique habitat, the otter's local ecology and evolutionary history warrant follow-up studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]