Giant Otter

Meet the adorable Giant Otters of South America!

Status

Endangered species
Size

Up to 31 kg
Distribution

South America
Diet

Carnivore

The Giant Otter reserve at Yorkshire Wildlife Park was officially opened by Olympic gold medalist Rebecca Adlington on the 22nd March 2016. This purpose built habitat consists of a deep natural lake, grassy embankments and an indoor house with rock pools and specially adapted climate control.

Where in the park?

Visit Explore South America

Species

Giant Otter are the longest of all the Otter species at around 1.6m when fully grown. Their long tail adds as much as 70cm to their body length. An average giant otter will weigh between 22 and 32kg (49-71lbs).

Each day a Giant Otter can consume up to 4 kilograms of fish. Their diet varies throughout the year due to fish migration.

Did you know?

Giant Otters can be incredibly dangerous. In the wild they have also been known to kill and feed on Anaconda!

Breeding

In the late 2020 Yorkshire Wildlife Park welcomed the birth of a rare baby Giant Otter named Bonita! Young Bonny has been busy watching and learning from her parents Alex and Orimar. She loves diving and swimming about in the lake under their watchful eye.

Numbers

Reduced hunting has allowed wild populations to steadily grow from an incredibly low number. However their population remains in critical danger. The current population is estimated to be somewhere around 3,500 individuals. It is believed that Giant Otters have lost around 70% of their South American range within the last decade.