It prefers to hunt in shallow water, using its keen vision to locate the prey which can be attacked either from above or below. Gestation lasts 65-70 days and the altricial young are born in late August until early October. They catch prey with their teeth. Behavior: Giant otters are very social animals. This distinction goes to the sea otter. It lives only in the rivers and creeks of the Amazon, Orinoco, and La Plata river systems. Giant Otter This South American otter is the world's largest, at some 6 feet long. This species is monogamous, and pairs stay together for life. A family has a home range of 12 sq. The giant otter has a handful of other names. Known throughout much of their range as 'river wolf', they are amongst South America's top carnivores. Senses: Giant otters have very good vision. In terms of body weight as well, Otters are much lighter than the Beavers. Since these otter hunt in packs, various non-vocal cues are used during the hunt or when defending their territory. Giant Otter Skull Replica is museum quality polyurethane cast. The giant otter is the longest of all the otter species, with a length of 6 ft (1.8m), including the tail, and a weight of 76 lbs (34 kg). It is also known as the Guiana flat-tailed otter, margin-tailed otter and winged-tailed otter. First, sea otters are two to three times the size of river otters — and, when at the water’s surface, they float on their backs, while river otters swim belly down like most animals. Included in AZA Species Survival Plan® (SSP). Overall, currently Giant otters are classified as Endangered (EN) and theirs numbers today are decreasing. … The giant otter is known to hunt alone, in pairs and in groups. Length: Up to 6 ft. Unlike other … The Giant Otter can reach up to 6 ft (1.8 m) in length, and weigh 76 lb (34 kg) in weight. Year-round, peak in late spring-early summer, 2. The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) is an endangered semi-aquatic carnivore of South America. Some sea otters might get heavier. An average giant otter will weigh between 22 and 32kg (49-71lbs). All three names ar… Males are between 1.5 and 1.7 m (4.9 and 5.6 ft) in length from head to tail and females between 1 and 1.5 m (3.3 and 4.9 ft). Pteronura brasiliensis The giant otter is the largest member of the mustelid family, which includes otters, weasels and ferrets. They also use urine and feces to mark their territory. Giant Otter on The IUCN Red List site -, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_otter, http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/18711/0. The total length of the body is 3-4.5 feet and its tail alone is 1-3.5 feet long. Giant otter fur is the shortest of all the otter species. Description: Giant otters have a gray or brown, dense (and waterproof) coat, which appears velvety when dry. In Spanish, river wolf (Spanish: [lobo de río] error: {{lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) and water dog (Spanish: [perro de agua] error: {{lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) are used occasionally, though the latter has many other meanings) and may have been more common in the reports of explorers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It grows from 4.9 to 5.9 feet (1.5 to 1.8 meters) long. River otters eat 15% to 20% of their total body weight each day. The average weight of an adult is 50-75 pounds with the male being the larger than the female. The Sea Otters, which are the heaviest Otter species in the world, weigh somewhere around 20 kgs, which is the closest Otters have ever come to Beavers in weight. This species is a native of South America (except for Chile), east of the Andes. The Giant otter was discovered by Gmelin in 1788. Giant river otters can eat piranhas. The giant otter has a great sense of smell, keen eyesight, and small ears. Despite maintaining separate territories, Giant otters are highly social mammals. Their coat is a dark brown color with creamy white markings on their chest. The pattern of blotches is unique to each individual and has been used by researchers to identify individual animals. km. This species does not store food. They are often referred to as the river wolf and are the largest otters in the world. Behavior: Giant otters are very social animals. Concern over this endangered species has since generated a body of research. This fur is densely packed so that no water can penetrate through to the skin. Giant otters are strictly carnivorous and eat fish, crabs, small anacondas and small caimans. (41 kilograms).The smallest otter is the Asian small-clawed otter, which grows up to 2.9 fee… The Giant Otter features a very long body, similar to that of a weasel. The females are smaller and weigh only 57–60 lb (26–27 kg). 22-32 kg. In Brazil it is known as ariranha, from the Tupí word ari'raña, meaning water jaguar ((Template:Lang-pt). of food daily. Reproductive behavior has largely been documented by observations of captive animals. They have strong claws and large webbed feet. The male giant otter is between 4.9 and 5.6 feet long from head to tail and weighs 57-71 pounds while the female is between 3.3 and 4.9 feet and weighs 49-57 pounds. Estimates have been provided for the following countries: 60 animals in Bolivia in the northwest in the Madre de Dios-Beni sub-basin; 50 individuals in 118,031 km² of the Pantanal (Paraguay river sub-basin), and 600 animals in the in 186,460 km² of the northeast (Itenez sub-basin), totaling an estimated 700 individuals; less than 250 animals in Ecuador; at least 200 animals in French Guiana; and 24-32 animals in Paraguay. They have a body length between 1 and 1.4 m (3.25 - 4.5 ft), a tail length between 45 and 65 cms (18 - 26 inches) and they weigh between 22 and 32 Kgs (49 - 71 lbs). Giant river otters are perfectly equipped for an aquatic lifestyle with webbed feet, a long powerful tail, and a long streamlined body. Methods of Collecting Food. Nearly hunted to extinction, it can reach up to 170 cm in length and lives in large, social family groups that sleep, play and hunt together. Males of Giant Otter weigh 26 to 32 kg and females 22 and 26 kg. The Giant otter, living in South America, and the largest of the otters in its total length, is the cousin of the sea and river otters in North America, Europe and Africa. The established territory is then marked by scent from the animals' anal glands. They are seen within the Amazon, Orinoco and La Plata River systems and are found in slow-moving streams and rivers, lakes, swamps, and marshes, as well as flooded forest during the rainy season. Giant Otter is usually chocolate brown but Giant Otter is reddish or jaundiced color and appears almost black when wet. Diet: Giant otters mainly eat fish (piscivores) but frogs, snakes, crabs and crayfish may also be eaten, with each eating six to nine pounds (three to four kilos) daily. They are powerful and graceful swimmers, spending most of their time in the water. There are 1-5 pups in a litter (usually 2-3) and they stay in the family den until they are 2-3 weeks old. A large male may consume as much as 11 kg (25 lb.) Pteronura brasiliensis moves through the water using different body parts according to its swimming speed. BODY: The feet of the Giant Otter are specially adapted for an amphibious lifestyle. They can reach lengths up to 6 feet long and weigh 75 pounds! LENGTH. At 9-10 months they can hunt independently and look just like their parents. Tail is 18-26 inches long. HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 70–75 lbs. The giant otter is large, gregarious, and diurnal. 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