The Amazon rainforest is a big place and it’s home to lots of wildlife. But would have anyone thought of the giant otter amongst all the animals in the rainforest? According to Palotoa Amazon Travel and National geographic, giant otters live in the rivers and other waterways of the Amazon rainforest. Giant otters are 49 to 71 pounds and its tail is 18 to 26 inches according to soft schools.com. They can live up to 12 years in the wild. They usually live in groups of 3 to 10 says Soft schools. And according to soft schools.com, females give birth to up to 6 babies in the dry season. Giant otters can grow up to 3.7 feet! Giant otter’s diet is usually made up of fish and crustaceans, but when they are desperate for food, they will attack and eat caimans, anacondas, and piranhas.

Even though they are one of the top predators in the rainforest, they are on the list of endangered animals. According to Outdoor Conservation.EU, there are only about 5000 individual giant otters left in the world. According to Palotoa Amazon Travel, this was caused by indiscriminate hunting for their fur, habitat loss, water pollution and overfishing. Also according to Wildcru, it was caused by mercury, a chemical that is harmful to giant otters and many other creatures. They are slowly recovering but they are still endangered.