# Giant otter (*Pteronura brasiliensis*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-otter  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), also called the Giant Brazilian otter, is a mammal in the family Mustelidae and subfamily Lutrinae, within the order Carnivora. Gestation lasts from 65 to 69 days, litters have up to 2 young, there is 1 litter per year, and sexual maturity is reached at 2 years. The giant otter is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 22 kg – 32 kg |
| Length | up to 1.8 m |
| Lifespan | 13.7 years |
| Diet | Piscivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 17.3 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | freshwater, riverine |
| Gestation | 65 days – 69 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.94 – 2 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Endangered (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Mustelidae
- genus: Pteronura
- species: *Pteronura brasiliensis* (Zimmermann, 1780)

Synonyms: *Lutra brasiliana*, *Lutra brasiliensis*, *Lutra brasiliensis*, *Lutra lupina*, *Lutra paraguensis*, *Lutra paranensis*, *Mustela brasiliensis*, *Mustela brasilinensis*, *Mustela lutris brasiliensis*, *Pteronura brasiliensis*, *Pteronura brasiliensis brasiliensis*, *Pteronura brasiliensis paraguensis*, *Pteronura brasiliensis paranensis*, *Pteronura sambachii*, *Pterura sanbachii*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the giant otter?

The giant otter is a mammal in the family Mustelidae, subfamily Lutrinae, in the order Carnivora.

### How heavy is a giant otter?

Adult giant otters weigh from 22 to 32 kg, with a representative value of 24 kg.

### What does the giant otter eat?

The giant otter is a piscivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.

### Is the giant otter endangered?

Yes. The giant otter is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.

### How long does a giant otter live?

The giant otter has a lifespan of 13.67 years, with values up to 17.3 years reported.

### How many young does a giant otter have?

Giant otters have up to 2 young per litter, with 1 litter per year, after a gestation of 65 to 69 days.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/giant-otter