Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Southern river otter (Lontra provocax), recorded as Endangered
Southern river otter (Lontra provocax). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Southern river otter

Lontra provocax

The southern river otter, or South American river otter, is an otter species that lives in much of Patagonia.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Lontra provocax
CITES
Appendix I
Taxonomy
Mammalia · Carnivora · Mustelidae · Lontra

Appearance

Its fur is dark brown on the upper parts and a lighter cinnamon color or can be almost white on the underside.

A medium-sized otter, the southern river otter's body can grow up to 70 cm (28 in) long, with the tail adding about 40 cm (16 in). Body weight averages about 5–10 kg (11–22 lb).

Range and habitat

The southern river otter can be found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats, but are mostly found in freshwater lakes and rivers having a significant amount of dense vegetation, especially along the shorelines, that must be present to use as cover. Their habitats also need the root systems of mature trees, as well as fallen tree debris. Although referred to as a "river" (freshwater) otter, the southern river otter is equally adapted to venturing into more brackish (even fully marine) waters to forage and hunt.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Breeding

Family groups usually consist only of a female and her young, as males are usually solitary except for the breeding season.

In crisis

It is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as an endangered species. This is the major cause of their current low population numbers and endangered conservation status. Since then, they have not been able to recover due to a number of other threats.

At this point, only seven known populations of this species are found throughout Chile and Argentina, and all of the populations are isolated from each other. Some invasive aquatic species that have been introduced into that area are limiting the mollusks and fish available for otter prey.

CITES lists this taxon on Appendix I. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.

Southern river otter is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Southern river otter, Wikidata item Q840714. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Marine otter (Lontra felina), recorded as EndangeredEN

Marine otter

Lontra felina
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii

Quick answers

What is Southern river otter?
The southern river otter, or South American river otter, is an otter species that lives in much of Patagonia.
What is the conservation status of Southern river otter?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Lontra provocax. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Southern river otter live?
The southern river otter can be found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats, but are mostly found in freshwater lakes and rivers having a significant amount of dense vegetation, especially along the shorelines, that must be present to use as cover.
Why is Southern river otter in crisis?
Several surveys and studies have been performed to better understand the southern river otter and its declining population, in an effort to prevent the species from facing a rapid extinction.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Lontra provocax?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Southern river otter a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.