Order Carnivora
Family Mustelidae
Status: Category III (VU). Vulnerable species.
Importance for gene pool preservation: Polytypic species represented in Turkmenistan by the subspecies L. l. seistanica Birula, 1912.
Distribution: Amudarya, Murghab, Atrek, Sumbar, Garagum Rivers and collector systems including Kattashor discharge lakes. Outside Turkmenistan – Iran, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan.
Habitat: Banks of rivers, lakes, canals, collectors, and reservoirs. Prefers water basins with clear water and steep vegetated banks.
Number and population trends: There are 20-25 individuals in the Sumbar River basin; about 20 in the middle reaches of the Amudarya River and the eastern part of the Garagum River. Approximately 150 individuals in Turkmenistan. It is extinct in the Tejen River basin; the Atrek River basin population is critically endangered. In 2018, 18 individuals were recorded in the Amudarya State Nature Reserve.
Biological characteristics: Active in the morning, evening, and night. Burrows in steep banks of water bodies serve as shelters. Sexual maturity is reached at 3 years old; mating occurs in February-April. Gestation lasts 9-10 months including a latent period; 2-3 offspring are born from July to August and stay with the mother for about a year. Feeds mainly on fish and various aquatic and semi-aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates.
Breeding: Breeds in captivity.
Conservation measures: Listed in the IUCN Red List (Category NT), in the Red Data Book of Turkmenistan since 1985, in CITES Appendix I, and protected in Amudarya and Hazar State Nature Reserves.
Proposed conservation actions: Conservation and restoration of tugais.
Research proposals: Regular population censuses and clarification of its range are necessary.