South American river otter
| South American river otter | ||||||||||||
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South American river otter |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lontra longicaudis | ||||||||||||
| ( Olfers , 1818) |
The South American otter ( Lontra longicaudis ) is a marten belonging to the New World otter genus . It is common in South and Central America.
description
The South American otter reaches a head body length of 36 to 66 cm, a tail length of 37 to 84 cm and a body weight of 5 to 15 kg. Adult males are 20-25% larger than females. The fur is dark brown in color, throat and neck are gray. The head is relatively large and broad. The feet are webbed.
Distribution area and habitat
The distribution area of the South American otter covers large parts of tropical South and Central America. It is essentially absent in the Andean region. They prefer faster flowing currents in rainforest and dry forest areas. You avoid very cloudy, muddy waters.
Subspecies
A distinction is made between the following subspecies of the South American otter:
- Lontra longicaudis longicaudis - nominate form , Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, southern Brazil, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay
- Lontra longicaudis annectens - Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua, and Venezuela
- Lontra longicaudis enudris - Northeastern Brazil, Guyana and Trinidad
Lifestyle and diet
South American otters are mainly diurnal. In areas with high levels of human activity, they sometimes shift their pace of life into the night. While they are active, these excellent swimmers and divers are rarely found out of the water. To rest, they usually seek out underground structures near water or tall grass. The main diet of this otter is fish. The animals also eat crustaceans, mollusks, small mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. South American river otters are solitary animals. Apart from mating and rearing young, the animals are rarely seen in the company of conspecifics.
Reproduction
Most mating takes place in spring, but in many regions there are no set mating times. The gestation period is 56 to 86 days. Usually two to three, sometimes one to five, blind but completely hairy young are born. These are born in nests made of grass and leaves, under tree stumps or self-dug caves in the earth. The females take care of their young alone. These open their eyes after around 44 days and begin to leave the building after around 52 days. After about 74 days they go into the water for the first time.
Duration
Since the South American otter occurs in very remote regions, the population conditions are hardly known. The IUCN therefore indicates the status with Data Deficient (insufficient data). The greatest threat is probably hunting for fur and general water pollution. South American otters are sometimes kept in captivity and trained to hunt fish.
literature
- S. Lariviére, AP Jennings: Family Mustelidae (Weasels and Relatives). In: DE Wilson, RA Mittermeier (ed.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Volume 1: Carnivores. Lynx Edicions, 2009, ISBN 978-84-96553-49-1 .
Individual evidence
Web links
- Lontra longicaudis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Waldemarin, HF & Alvarez, R., 2008. Retrieved September 20, 2013.