It inhabits natural habitats of ponds and lakes, rivers and streams, coastal tide pools and estuaries, freshwater and mangrove swamps and also near human habitats, especially in rice fields (Khan 2008). This species lives in extended family groups of about 12 individuals with only the alpha pair breeding; offsprings from previous years help to raise the young. It is an excellent swimmer and performs swimming by moving hind legs and tail. It can dive under water for about eight minutes. In the riverine systems, it choose areas with low vegetation and its nesting burrows are dug into the muddy banks. This species spends most of its time on land unlike most other otters. It feeds mainly on invertebrates such as crustaceans and mollusks, but is also known to feed on vertebrates, in particular amphibians (Hussain 2008, Khan 2008).