With a flexible body and the ability to swim like a fish, the giant otter looms as a fierce underwater predator in South America. This creature can even take down some of the region's top predators, including anacondas. Webbed feet and a flat tail help the giant otter make tight twists and turns when chasing prey. It sometimes hunts with members of its family; they work together to herd schools of fish together so all members can snag an easy meal.
Get Set... Go!: The giant otter uses its webbed feet to swim slowly when patrolling for prey. When it enters a chase, though, the predator powers-up its strong, flat tail, which propels it at speeds up to nine miles per hour.
It's a Twister: This creature's long body allows it to match every twist and turn of its most agile prey in the water. The otter prefers to chase fish in shallow waters so it can drive them toward the shore, leaving the victims with no escape route.
Family Outing[]
The playful otter is also an expert hunter that feasts on fish.
Giant otter clans are very social and cooperative groups. Families consist of an adult male and female, which stay together for life, and their litters of young. The otter family hunts together, often driving entire schools of fish into tight areas where each otter can swim through and grab a mouthful. The animals communicate with each other mostly by purring, but also howl when playing in the water. Adults have a special yell they make if they spot a predator on land, such as a jaguar.
No Fear: The giant otter is a good fighter, enough to take on prey that's bigger than itself. it has even been known to hunt other predators, such as anacondas and caimans (cousins to alligators), though only those on the smaller side.
Into the Woods: Every fall, the Orinoco and Amazon Rivers flood into the forests that surround their banks, and fish swim into these lush new wetlands to breed. The giant otter follows to snatch easy prey from the large groups of breeding fish.
What Hunts Beneath[]
- A lone giant otter quickly and quietly enters the river by crawling down a sloping bank, then paddles slowly while looking for prey below.
- The otter spots an unwary fish and dives. The fish tries to dart away, but the otter matches its movements and grabs it with its powerful jaws.
- The fish is too big to gulp down in the water, so the otter jumps onto a rocky ledge to eat, ripping the victim apart with its long canine teeth.
Trivia[]
- The card's front illustration is also used in the Wildlife Explorer series, for the Giant Otter's profile. The main difference is the fur being slightly less dark, and the removal of water trails behind the paws, in the Weird n' Wild version.
- The image of the otter eating a fish on the back, and the "What Hunts Beneath" illustrations are also shared. The latter, titled "Fisher King", has an additional third image of the otter surfacing.