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  • Giant river otter

Giant river otter

Find me in
Amazon Flooded Forest
  • Quick Facts
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  • Protecting Wildlife
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Quick facts

Lifespan

Lifespan

10 to 13 years in the wild

Up to 17 years under human care

Diet

Diet

Fish and crustaceans

Occasionally small snakes and caimans

Habitat

Habitat

Large, slow-moving rivers

Also streams, lakes and swamps

Range

Range

South America

Throughout the Orinoco, Amazon, and La Plata river systems

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The giant river otters

Playful families

Playful families

In the wild, giant river otter families work together to chase off predators like caimans and jaguars, and trespassing otters from rival families. Socially-integrated otter families cooperate better. That’s why our otters play together so often – it strengthens the social bonds essential for the survival of the family!

Depending on the day of your visit, you may see Chico and Carla, or their younger siblings.
Authorised members only

Authorised members only

The otters’ white throat markings are unique like our fingerprints and used for identification. They have a keen sense of smell and can tell family members from intruders by sniffing one another. To mark out their territorial boundaries, they smear secretions from their anal glands all around their ‘home ground’. If you see our otters rubbing their bodies against parts of the exhibit, looking like they’re scratching an itch, you know now they’re actually scent marking.
O-tterly entertaining

O-tterly entertaining

Our otters love chasing bubbles in the water. They also enjoy picking up rocks and watching them sink to the bottom of the pool, before repeating the entire process again. To further encourage their instinct to explore, our keepers provide the otters with enrichment toys, in the form of a simple boomer ball which they can roll and chase, or a few branches to excite them with new scents. On hot days, an ice block may be given to provide them with a sensory treat.
Strict parents

Tough love

Otter pups do not know how to swim and need to be taught by their parents. You can’t tell by their cheeky looks but otters can be extremely strict swimming instructors. They would take their pups by their neck and hold them in water while they struggled. 

Together, we protect wildlife

 Breeding to protect their future

Breeding to protect their future

Our otter breeding success, a first in Asia, is coordinated under the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) Ex-situ Programme (EEP). Through exchange among member zoos worldwide and careful 'match-making’, the EEP ensures that the gene pool of giant otter populations under human care is robust. Such collaborations are important to secure a future for the species’ survival.

The IUCN Status

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

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Every visit to our parks comes with

Every visit to our parks comes with
Find out how, together, we're creating a better future for wildlife and the planet.

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10:00am – 7:00pm (Last entry at 6:00pm)

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80 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729826

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