Giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis density and abundance in Llanos Orientales de Colombia in the Orinoco basin

The giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis, categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, was once widely distributed throughout South America. By the middle of the 20th century the giant otter had become locally extinct along the main rivers of the Orinoco basin. Although some populations seem to hav...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inOryx Vol. 55; no. 5; pp. 779 - 782
Main Authors Garrote, Germán, Castañeda, Beyker, Escobar, Jose Manuel, Pérez, Laura, Marín, Brayan, Terán, Jacinto, Trujillo, Fernando
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.09.2021
Subjects
Abundance
Commercial fishing
Conservation
Conservation status
Density
Fish
Fishing
Mammals
National parks
Otters
Pelage
Polls & surveys
Population
Population number
Pteronura brasiliensis
Rivers
Short Communication
Species
Sport fishing
South America
Brazil
Colombia
Suriname
Bolivia
Peru
Colombia
survey
giant otter
Orinoco river
density estimation
Pteronura brasiliensis
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Summary:The giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis, categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, was once widely distributed throughout South America. By the middle of the 20th century the giant otter had become locally extinct along the main rivers of the Orinoco basin. Although some populations seem to have recovered, the paucity of information available does not permit a full evaluation of the species' conservation status. The objective of this study was to estimate the abundance and density of the giant otter population along the Orinoco river in the municipality of Puerto Carreño, Vichada, Colombia, where there is important commercial and recreational fishing. Thirty-nine linear km were surveyed, repeatedly, with a total of 315 km of surveys. Population size was estimated by direct counts of individuals. All individuals detected were photographed and identified individually from their throat pelage patterns. In total, 30 otters were identified, giving a minimum density of 0.77 individuals per km, one of the highest reported for the species in Colombia. Given the high density in this well-developed area, our results highlight the importance of this population for the conservation of the species.
ISSN:0030-6053
1365-3008
DOI:10.1017/S0030605320000058