''Aonyx'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of otters, containing three

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

, the

African clawless otter The African clawless otter (''Aonyx capensis''), also known as the Cape clawless otter or groot otter, is the second-largest freshwater otter species. It inhabits permanent water bodies in savannah and lowland forest areas through most of sub-Sa ...

, the

Congo clawless otter The Congo clawless otter (''Aonyx congicus''), also known as the Cameroon clawless otter, is a species in the family Mustelidae. It was formerly recognised as a subspecies (''Aonyx capensis congicus'') of the African clawless otter.

, and the Asian small-clawed otter. The word ''aonyx'' means "clawless", derived from the prefix '' a-'' ("without") and ''

onyx Onyx primarily refers to the parallel banded variety of chalcedony, a silicate mineral. Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The c ...

'' ("claw/hoof").

Species

Three species are currently recognised: Zoologists differ as to whether or not to include the Asian small-clawed otter in this genus, or in its own genus '' Amblonyx''. They also differ as to whether the Congo clawless otter is a species, or is

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organ ...

Species

Notes

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