Updates on the presence of the Eurasian otter, Lutra lutra in the SAC/SPA “Area delle Gravine” IT9130007 and first sighting in the Oasis “Gravina di Laterza”

Abstract

The Eurasian otter is irregularly distributed in Southern Italy. In Apulia Region presence data are known mostly for the river basins of the Tavoliere delle Puglie, while in the province of Taranto only sporadic signs of presence have been documented in the last decade. Here we report of the presence of the otter in the Gravine Area in 2021 using camera trapping and in the area of LIPU Oasis “Gravina di Laterza”, one of the most important and characteristic sites of the whole Gravine Area, in which in 2022 three different individuals were observed.