Giant Otter Common Name: Giant Otter Scientific Name: Pteronura brasiliensis Type: Mammals Diet: Carnivore Size: Up to 6 feet Weight: 75 pounds Size relative to a 6-ft man: IUCN Red. [63] It occurs in freshwater rivers and streams, which generally flood seasonally. Females appear to give birth year round, although in the wild, births may peak during the dry season. Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. A wavering scream may be used in bluff charges against intruders, while a low growl is used for aggressive warning. (Heaney et al. Their fur is extremely soft and is a chocolate brown except for a pattern of large creamy white patches under their long neck, thought to be unique for each individual otter. The groups are centered on a dominant breeding pair and are extremely cohesive and cooperative. Can we bring a species back from the brink? Post navigation Previous Post Next Post The Guianas are one of the last real strongholds for the species, which also enjoys modest numbers and significant protection in the Peruvian Amazonian basin. Size Southern sea otters weigh 45 to 65 pounds; northern sea otters can reach up to 100 pounds. Illegal killing still occurs, often at the hands of fishermen, who see Giant otters as competition for fish. [42] Population densities varied with a high of 1.2/km2 (3.1/sqmi) reported in Suriname and with a low of 0.154/km2 (0.40/sqmi) found in Guyana. What does cancer smell like? The IUCN lists Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela as current range countries. [2] Populations in Bolivia were once widespread but the country became a "black spot" on distribution maps after poaching between the 1940s and 1970s; a relatively healthy, but still small, population of 350 was estimated in the country in 2002. Well suited for an aquatic life, it can close its ears and nose while underwater. Group members share roles, structured around the dominant breeding pair. They take a nap at mid-day during really warm weather. [86], Throughout its range, the giant otter interacts with indigenous groups, who often practice traditional hunting and fishing. The park harbors many endangered plants and animals, including the giant otter, and holds the world record for mammal diversity. If you liked our suggestions for giant otter size, then why not take a look at what do otters eat orgiant otter facts? Giant Otter - Pteronura brasiliensis The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is a South American carnivorous mammal. This page is a comprehensive list of every adoptable animal featured in Planet Zoo. [17] The ears are small and rounded. Bats and agaves make tequila possibleand theyre both at risk, California is having an epic 'supershroom' season, Jimmy Carter on the greatest challenges of the 21st century, This ancient Greek warship ruled the Mediterranean, 3 ways Jimmy Carter changed the world for the better, The meaning of the cross of ashes on Ash Wednesday, The mystery of London's elusive Roman amphitheater, This disease often goes under-diagnosedunless youre white, The groundbreaking promise of cellular housekeeping. What does cancer smell like? In captivity, that number increases slightly to the late teens. [2] Four specific vegetation types occur on one important creek in Suriname: riverbank high forest, floodable mixed marsh and high swamp forest, floodable low marsh forest, and grass islands and floating meadows within open areas of the creek itself. [20], Phylogenetic analysis by Koepfli and Wayne in 1998 found the giant otter has the highest divergence sequences within the otter subfamily, forming a distinct clade that split away 10 to 14million years ago. [66] Giant otters may adopt preferred locations perennially, often on high ground. Hums and coos are more reassuring within the group. [14] (Larger figures may reflect two or three family groups temporarily feeding together. [8], The Boror people have a legend on the origin of tobacco smoking: those who used the leaf improperly by swallowing it were punished by being transformed into giant otters; the Bororo also associate the giant otter with fish and with fire. Giant otter pups are taken by locals for illegal pet trades. 1. The timing of activity by an animal depends A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a A piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. It is difficult to differentiate between giant male and female species as they have almost similar heads and body shapes. A capacity for aggressive behavior should not be overstated with the giant otter. Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. The giant otter is large, gregarious, and diurnal. [61] In some cases, supposed cooperative hunting may be incidental, a result of group members fishing individually in close proximity; truly coordinated hunting may only occur where the prey cannot be taken by a single giant otter, such as with small anacondas and juvenile black caiman. It is a species, the only one in the genus Pteroneura, which has short, very dense hair, 8 mm thick, velvety in appearance, ranging in color from light brown to a darker shade. Giant Otter Technologies, founded by artificial intelligence video game developer Jeff Orkin, an MIT Media Lab alumnus, has developed a platform that uses AI algorithms and crowdsourced annotators to build a natural-language database that helps chatbots expertly navigate human conversations. "Giant otter" translates literally as nutria gigante and lontra gigante in Spanish and Portuguese, respectively. Among the 13 living species of otters, the sea otter ( Enhydra lutris) and the freshwater-living giant otter ( Pteronura brasiliensis) are the largest (up to 45 kg) and longest (up to 1.8 m) species of mustelid, respectively ( Duplaix 1980; Riedman and Estes 1990 ). The giant otter seems to have evolved independently of Lontra in South America, despite the overlap. South America is famous for its islands and abundant natural resources, forests, and waterfalls. The giant otter's typical length varies between 57-71 in (145-180 cm); the average is around 6 ft (1.8 m). [6] In Spanish, river wolf (Spanish: lobo de ro) and water dog (Spanish: perro de agua) are used occasionally (though the latter also refers to several different animals) and may have been more common in the reports of explorers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It lives only in the rivers and creeks of the Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata river systems. Duplaix documented interaction with the Neotropical otter. The giant otter's average length is 57-71 in (145-180 cm) with an average weight of 53 lb (24 kg). Can we bring a species back from the brink? Other threats to the giant otter include conflict with fishermen, who often view the species as a nuisance (see below). [77] A number of restrictions on land use and human intrusion are required to properly maintain wild populations. Neotropical otters range from Central to South America, whereas giant otters inhabit the Amazon forest range from north of Uruguay to Colombia. The giant otter species are the largest otters in the world. Fish are supplemented by crustaceans, snakes, and other river creatures. obesity). [60], The species can hunt singly, in pairs, and in groups, relying on sharp eyesight to locate prey. Di Martino captured the otter on his phone while. Giant otters are very social animals, according to the Animal Diversity Web. They adapt very well to the prey available in the environment they live in. and. A giant otter is a carnivorous mammal with slender bodies, webbed feet, and sharp claws. [5] They are weaned by nine months and begin hunting successfully soon after. Defence against intruding animals appears to be cooperative: while adult males typically lead in aggressive encounters, cases of alpha females guarding groups have been reported. Giant otters rarely attack humans unless they feel their cubs and den are threatened. The giant otters are excellent predators as they have whiskers that help them detect the vibrations in the river bed to find prey very quickly. The head-body-tail length of an adult giant otter can be up to six feet. [83] (One researcher has suggested the giant otter is hunted only in desperation due to its horrible taste. [52][53][54], In the wild, it has been suggested, although not systematically confirmed, that tourists cause similar stresses: disrupted lactation and denning, reduced hunting, and habitat abandonment are all risks. The neotropical otter is active during twilight and darkness, reducing the likelihood of conflict with the diurnal giant otter. Captive Asian small-clawed otters in the snow (Amblonyx cinereus) Ben Queenborough/Getty 2 Which species are giant otters closely related to? [25][31], The species possesses 2n= 38 chromosomes.[32]. Created Date: 6/22/2012 11:28:10 AM . The length of male Alaska otters is about 58 in (148 cm), and average weight ranges from 60-85 lb (27-39 kg); whereas female Alaska sea otters measure 55 in (140 cm) and weight range from 35-60 lb (16-27 kg). Giant Otter on The IUCN Red List site -, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_otter, http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/18711/0. [61] Carter and Rosas have found captive adult animals consume around 10% of their body weight dailyabout 3 kilograms (7lb), in keeping with findings in the wild. Articles about travel, movies, people, animals and birds, pet care, and parenting are a few of the topics written by her. of food each day. Known as Siamogale melilutra, it weighed more than 50kg and was the size of a wolf. Fur is chocolate brown with cream-colored throat patches that are unique to each individual. [78][79] Water pollution from mining, fossil fuel extraction, and agriculture is a serious danger; concentrations of pesticides and other chemicals are magnified at each step in the food chain, and can poison top predators such as the giant otter. [2] Given local extinctions, the species' range has become discontinuous. Otter Image Otter Size. [58] The giant otter seems to be opportunistic, taking whatever species are most locally abundant. If you travel further north to areas like the Alaskan seaboard, you could even find males weighing up to 100 pounds! Pairwise tests among the four different categories indicated that follow duration was higher in giant otter groups in areas without human activity compared to mined (Z = 4.44; P adj < 0.001) and fished (Z = 2.74; P adj = 0.01) lakes, and that groups in lakes with ecotourism had higher follow duration compared to mined lakes (Z = 3.56 . The groups are centered on a dominant breeding pair and are extremely cohesive and cooperative. A 2011 Oceanographic Environmental Research Society study of otter attacks found only 39 documented violent . They den by burrowing into banks or under fallen logs, and establish a home territory that they will aggressively defend. [91], Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 19:07, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, "Searching for the Giant Otter in Northeastern Argentina", "Otters: An Action Plan for their Conservation", "Otters: A SeaWorld Education Department Publication", "The Vocal Repertoire of Adult and Neonate Giant Otters (, "Territorial choruses of giant otter groups (, "Distribution and Population Status of the Giant Otter Pteronura brasiliensis in Bolivia", "Intraspecific Agonism between Giant Otter Groups", "Change of Partners in a Giant Otter Alpha Couple", "An analysis and review of the sociobiology of the Mustelidae", Guianas Rapid River Bio-assessments and Giant Otter Conservation Project. [83] In a report for World Wildlife Fund in 2002, Duplaix was emphatic about the importance of Suriname and the other Guianas:[63] .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Sizeable burrows are then built under fallen logs. A giant otter's average length is 6 feet (1.9 m) but its typical length is 57 to 71 inches (145 to 180 cm). [33] Concern over this endangered species has since generated a body of research. [63] Otters do not visit or mark every site daily, but usually patrol all of them, often by a pair of otters in the morning. [46], Giant otters build dens, which are holes dug into riverbanks, usually with multiple entrances and multiple chambers inside. It's easy to forget just how big a blue whale is compared to a human until you learn that just the tail of a blue whale is 25 feet wide - nearly 5 times the height of an average human! Diet. Can we bring a species back from the brink?, Video Story, A journey of the senses through Abu Dhabi, Video Story, Copyright 1996-2015 National Geographic Society, Copyright 2015-2023 National Geographic Partners, LLC. They give birth within these dens during the dry season. Quick hah barks or explosive snorts suggest immediate interest and possible danger. They appear in a fish poisoning legend where they assist a man who has wasted his sexual energy, creating the anacondas of the world from his distressed and extended genitals. [11] The genus name, Pteronura, is derived from the Ancient Greek words (pteron, feather or wing) and (oura, tail),[12] a reference to its distinctive, wing-like tail. The species prefers freshwater rivers and streams, which are usually seasonally flooded, and may also take to freshwater lakes and springs. The species is territorial, with groups marking their ranges with latrines, gland secretions, and vocalizations. It is the longest member of the . [80], The giant otter has lost as much as 80% of its South American range. A typical adult Giant Otter weighs between 24 and 32 kg (53 and 71 lb). [74][81], In 2006, most of this species lived in the Brazilian Amazon and its bordering areas. They can hunt alone or in groups; although, they prefer to live in family groups. Both giant otters and Asian small-clawed otters were able to solve the task successfully when the coordination requirements were minimal. The average weight of a giant male otter is 57-75 lb (26-34 kg), whereas a female weighs 49-57 lb (22-26 kg). The average length for a giant otter is 57 to 71 inches (145 to 180 cm), with an average weight of 53 pounds (24 kg). Weight can also vary greatly (e.g. Watch also The Story of Sea Otters & the Bomb that Split an Island" https://youtu.be/SX_uplnUaTsThe Pantanal: the largest tropical wetland on earth. This allows artists to copy reference codes for later use, rather than having to renter the values every time. The giant otter ranges across north-central South America; it lives mostly in and along the Amazon River and in the Pantanal. Limits on the number of tourists at any one time, fishing prohibitions, and a minimum safe distance of 50 metres (164ft) are proposed to offer further protection. Group hierarchies are not rigid and the animals easily share roles. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in).Atypical of mustelids, the giant otter is a social species, with family groups typically supporting three to eight members. The hunting decimated their populations. [14] Total population numbers are difficult to estimate. Hatzegopteryx, compared to a full-grown human being. Can you have an otter as a pet? While resting, they wind up in kelp (algae seaweeds) to remain on the water surface. The giant otters have also been named the river wolf and belong to the weasel family endemic South America. The giant eland ( Taurotragus derbianus ), also known as the Lord Derby eland, is an open-forest and savanna antelope. This does not influence our choices. [13] Later gene sequencing research on the mustelids, from 2005, places the divergence of the giant otter somewhat later, between five and 11million years ago; the corresponding phylogenetic tree locates the Lontra divergence first among otter genera, and Pteronura second, although divergence ranges overlap.[21]. The species prefers freshwater rivers and streams, which are usually seasonally flooded, and may also take to freshwater lakes and springs. 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