Rainforest Expeditions (est. 1989) operates three award winning Amazon lodges: Posada Amazonas, Refugio Amazonas, and Tambopata Research Center. Each Amazon lodge provides access to a unique set of ecotourism experiences in the jungle of southeastern Peru.
Our packages include activities comprised of aspects of nature and culture of the Amazon rainforest. We offer a variety of special interest activities, tours and expeditions like Soft Adventure, Birdwatching expeditions, Family and more...
Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis)
Photo: Walter Wust
Name: Giant Otter
Local name: Lobo de Río, Nutria Gigante
Scientific name: Pteronura brasiliensis
Characteristics:
1. Weight between 25 to 32 kg. Size from 1.5 to 2 m. Tail 45 to 66 cm.
2. Fur dark chocolate brown, often with creamy markings on their neck that form a bib-like pattern.
3. This bib is unique to each individual, and is very useful in the field for identifying individuals within a population
4. Tail very thick and muscular at the base, becoming flattened 1/3 of the way down, creating a sword-shape.
Habitat and behavior: Largest species in the Mustelidae family. Semi-acuatic life, diurnal (they sleep in dens near the shore). Found in bodies of black and white water with slow current like rivers, creeks or lakes. Usually giant otters are found in groups of 4 to 9 individuals. Rarely solitary.
Diet: Each adult giant otter eats aprox 4 kg of fish and other acuatic animals per day.
Reproduction habits: Female gives birth to 1 to 5 pups, with an average of two. Sexual maturity is reached after 2 - 3 years. Giant otters live approximately 9 years in the wild and up to 14 in captivity.
Curiosities: Males and females cannot be distinguished by size. Giant otters communicate through territorial marks, and through sounds that they make even underwater. Their geographical range once went from Venezuela to northern Argentina. Today they are only found in small remaining patches, mainly in the Guayanas, Brazil and southeastern Peru. Giant otters were near extinction at the end of the 60´s due to indiscriminate hunting. From 1946 to 1973 more than 24 000 skins were exported from the Peruvian Amazon and 20 000 from Brazil, as it was legal. In 1970 only small populations remained, mainly in remote areas. The Peruvian department of Madre de Dios harbours an estimate of 150 individuals, and is thus considered among the most important refugees for this species.
