Giant otter Status, Distribution and Taxonomy

Juvenile Giant otter - Philadelphia Zoo

The Giant otter is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List and its population trend is decreasing.  It is vulnerable to habitat loss and is killed for its pelt or because locals view them as threats to fish resources.  The giant otter inhabits South America; extending close to, but not including, the Caribbean Sea.  Its southern range stretches to Argentina, but according to the IUCN, the ”Argentine and Uruguayan populations are thought to be extinct.”  Giant otters are not present in Chile and most animals are found along the Brazilian Amazon.  

The official taxonomic listing is: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Subphylum: Vertebrata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Carnivora, Family: Mustelidae; Genus: Pteronura; Species: Brasiliensis.

There are two subspecies of Giant otters. According to the IUCN, Pteronura brasiliensis brasiliensis occurs “from Suriname, the Guianas, southern Venezuela, southern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil”; while Pteronura brasiliensis paranensis occurs “from the Paraguay and Parana rivers in Brazil, and northern Argentina and Uruguay.”