Variation of skull morphometry of Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in Denmark and Germany

The distance between opistokranion and zygomatic process of frontal bone (A), the condylobasal length (X), and the total length of the mandible (M) were measured in skulls of the Eurasian otter collected in Denmark and in the east of Germany (Lausitz). The Danish population showed a strong reduction in size of the traits in males, and an increase with time in the variances of the traits in females, whereas in the Lausitzian population, no significant changes in the same traits over the same time period were observed. The skulls were also investigated for fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and a negative correlation was found between the size of a skull and FA in the males from both populations, whereas no correlations were found in the females.