An otter of South America and Trinidad, using rivers, lakes and their banks.
Its short, dense, sleek coat is grayish brown, paler underneath and around the throat. Its webbed feet help it swim.
A study examined the diet of Neotropical river otters in a private reserve in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest. From July 2008 to October 2009, researchers collected 212 scats along 4.1 km of a pool system and identified the food remains. Sampling continued across seasons, although severe floods prevented access during part of the summer.
Fish occurred in 96.7% of the scats. Among identified fish groups, Loricariidae appeared in 65.4% and Pimelodidae in 42.9%. Insects, crustaceans, snakes, birds, mammals and fruit also appeared. These are occurrence percentages in scats, not shares of food by weight. The results describe one reserve and a short stretch of pools, not the diet of all Neotropical river otters.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
At this reserve, fish remains occurred in 96.7% of the sampled scats, with Loricariidae and Pimelodidae among the most frequently recorded fish groups. The local result can inform understanding of this pool system’s food web, but it covers only one 4.1 km site and does not establish the species-wide diet, population trend, or formal conservation status.