Brazil: Pantanal – Giant River Otters

This was the most amazing animal I saw in Pantanal, blowing away even the jaguars – Giant River Otters! This big carnivorous mammal is endemic to the jungles of Brazil but sightings are rare, perhaps more rare then that of jaguars. They look similar to normal otter but much larger and faster. The males are larger then females, reaching 1.7m (5.6ft) and weighing upto 27kg (56lb). They are diurnal and highly social, usually in groups of 3-8. I got lucky to see two separate groups – one had 5 swimming like torpedoes on a hunt – and the other had four, including a mother with a small baby that she carried across the river in her teeth. It was beyond incredible! They live in dens, are quite noisy, and are aggressive hunters – just like jaguars, they are apex animals here. Only less then 4400 individuals remaining in the world…


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