It’s a rat ... It’s a mongoose ... It’s a cat ... It’s a dog ... It’s an otter!

[Nityānanda Miśra]

India is home to three of the thirteen species of otters found worldwide. Many words for the otter in Sanskrit and major Indic languages literally mean “water-rat”, “water-mongoose”, “water-cat”, or “water-dog”. It is likely so many kinds of words came into vogue as a result of people being divided over whether the animal resembled a rat or a mongoose or a cat or a dog.

Sanskrit words

उद्र = one who becomes wet

नीरज = water-born

जलविडाल = water-cat

जलमार्जार = water-cat

जलनकुल = water-mongoose

पानीयनकुल = water-mongoose

नीराखु = water-rat

जलाखु = water-rat

Hindi words

ऊद = from Sanskrit उद्र

ऊदबिलाव = wet-cat (Sanskrit: उद्रविडाल)

Marathi words

पाणमांजर = water-cat (Sanskrit: पानीयमार्जार)

जलमांजर = water-cat (Sanskrit: जलमार्जार)

Nepali word

पानी-बिरालो = water-cat (Sanskrit: पानीयविडाल)

Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam words

ನೀರುನಾಯಿ = water-dog

నీటి కుక్క = water-dog

നീർനായ = water-dog

--

Nityānanda Miśra

[उज्ज्वल राजपूत]

र॒म॒णीया॑नि॒ नामा॑नि गृही॒तानि॑। अनु॑गृहीताः स्मः। संस्कृ॑तस्य उ॒द्र इति॑ आङ्ग्लभा॒षाया॑श्च otter इती॒मौ सजा॑ता॒विति॑ चिकि॒त्वांसो॒ न खलु॒ सर्वेऽत्रापे॑क्षिताः।

Interesting compilation of names, thanks. But surely you don't trust everyone here to be able to recognize that Sanskrit udrá and English 'otter' are cognates.