Biologists took this photo of a giant otter in May in Argentina’s El Impenetrable National Park, the first sighting of the species in that region in decades. (Photo courtesy of Rewilding Argentina)
Hopes are emerging in Argentina that the endangered giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) might be poised for a comeback. In Argentina’s Iberá National Park, conservationists are carrying out captive breeding of giant otters, which can grow to two meters (over six feet) and weigh up to 33 kilograms (over 73 pounds). They say they might release the first of them into the Esteros del Iberá, a region of extensive freshwater wetlands in northeast Argentina, by the end of the year. Meanwhile, in El Impenetrable National Park in Argentina’s northern Chaco region, scientists in May spotted a giant otter in the wild for the first time in decades. The giant otter, a carnivorous aquatic mammal, is endemic to South America, but is listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its populations in the Amazon region and the watersheds of the Orinoco and Paraná Rivers are highly fragmented... [Log in to read more]
