Giant Otters are fascinating animals.
These animals are known to go head-to-head with some of the world's most powerful animals, - such as Jaguars, crocodiles and anacondas. Giant Otters might look like any other species of Otter. However, Giant Otters can be more resilient and powerful than your average species of Otter. Giant Otters are predatory animals, like other species of Otter. But they can, and do kill prey which your regular Otter wouldn’t.
For example, Giant Otters will kill and eat wild animals such as small anacondas, and small crocodiles - which shows the Giant Otter to be a powerful player itself in the Amazon rainforest.
The Amazon rainforest is where the Giant Otter lives; it is their habitat, their home.
The wild animals are found in rivers and creeks in the Amazon basin within the Amazon rainforest. The Amazon basin is massive - it is almost the size of the whole of the United States of America - which shows how massive this ecosystem is. It is part of the worlds largest forest.
The Amazon basin is the world's largest draining system. It is drained by the Amazon river. The Amazon river is home to many species of wild animals that are unique to the world, and found nowhere else in the world - this includes the Giant Otter, who are only found in the Amazon. Giant Otters are found nowhere else in the wild.
Giant Otters are one of the largest predators within the Amazon river. They are often successful predators. Even to the point where Giant Otters can compete and succeed with other large predators within the Amazon river ecosystem, - such as Jaguars. This makes Giant Otters one of the most successful in the Amazon.
But.
Even though Giant Otters are successful in their habitat, these wild animals are not free from danger. The biggest threat to Giant Otters is not other wild animals, it is us, it is humans which are the biggest threat to their survival today.
Historically, there have been a few threats from humans towards the Giant Otter. Giant Otters have been persecuted and hunted for their: meat, fur, and have even been trapped and used as pets. However, as an attempt to save Giant Otters, there was a ban to the fur trade in Otter skins and fur. This has been successful, as following a ban in Otter fur, Giant Otter populations did recover.
Although the Giant Otter population did recover, Giant Otters are today classed as an endangered species. As an endangered species today, Giant Otters face several different threats, than they did in the past. One of the major threats to these wild animals, is deforestation. Deforestation is one of the main reason why Giant Otters have been decreasing. The WWF estimates that 17% of the Amazon rainforest has already been lost due to deforestation.
The deforestation of the Amazon rainforest happens for several reasons. The main reasons are - deforestation due to clearing land for agriculture, and deforestation due to clearing land for things such as mining and timber. This deforestation threatens the existence of the Amazon rainforest itself, and the animals that live within the rainforest - including Giant Otters.
There is another threat that deforestation poses, - and that is the risk that deforestation poses to uncontacted tribes within the Amazon rainforest. The threat posed to uncontacted tribes within the Amazon is so strong, that some even believe that these uncontacted tribes face genocide at the hands of Brazil's new president. At the beginning of this year, Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, launched an assault on the Amazon rainforests forest protections. Getting rid of the Amazons protections poses the risk of further deforestation, and the loss of lands held by indigenous tribes, to give them over to the agricultural industry. Essentially, it poses a risk to the life of indigenous tribes within the Amazon rainforest, and the animals within the rainforest.
Animals like the Giant Otter could be on the receiving end on the newly elected president eradicating the protections that have been in place for the Amazon.
Subspecies Of Giant Otter
Giant Otters are the largest species of Otter in the world.
There are thought to be two subspecies of Giant Otter. Although it is theorized that there are two subspecies of Giant Otter, there isn’t conclusive evidence that proves two subspecies of Giant Otter exists. If there are two subspecies of Giant Otters, then both subspecies live in the Amazon rainforest, and are likely to be very similar in nature and appearance with one another.
Giant Otter Population
As already stated, Giant Otters are currently endangered.
Sadly there isn’t a lot of study on either the (potential) subspecies of Giant Otter, nor their populations. It’s not clear exactly on how many Giant Otters remain in the wild today. However, it is estimated that there is between 1000 and 5000 Giant Otters remaining left in the wild today, which makes these beautiful and charismatic animals vulnerable to extinction.