Mammals · Carnivora · Mustelidae
Southern River Otter
Lontra provocax
Endangered
At very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.
The huillín, or southern river otter, is the most threatened otter in South America. It occupies two very different environments: the rivers and lakes of southern Chile and Argentina, with banks of dense native forest, and the marine shore of the Patagonian channels and fjords, where it lives among the rocks and kelp beds. It feeds mainly on crustaceans, fish and molluscs. It depends entirely on banks with roots, fallen trunks and thick vegetation in which to dig its dens, so it disappears as soon as the shoreline is cleared.
Weight
5 kg – 10 kg
Size
57 cm – 70 cm
Life expectancy
10 years
