Giant otter: how animals terrify piranha, caimans and even the anacondas

Piranhas hasten to hide in muddy water, caimans hope until the last that they will not be noticed, and a huge anaconda slowly recedes into the thickets of grass - this is how bloodthirsty Amazonian predators behave when a family of Brazilian otters goes hunting.

The Brazilian, or giant otter, lives in South America, in tropical rainforests. Their habitat is the Amazon and Orinoco river basins, where they live in large friendly families, numbering up to 15-20 individuals.

Giant otters are indeed the largest representatives of the marten family, and their body length reaches 2 meters. On the neck of this species of otters there is a characteristic white or light brown spot. The body is covered with thick fur, small auricles, membranes between the toes and sensitive vibrissae make them ideally suited for living in the muddy rivers of the South American tropics.

Otters prefer calm, shallow sections of rivers rich in fish. The family lives in a large hole, the length of which can reach 10 meters or more. Each family controls its own jungle plot where it earns food. All kinds of fish are included in the diet of these animals, including piranhas, small birds and animal eggs, rodents and snakes. On occasion, a large family of Brazilian otters can cope with a lone caiman and even an anaconda - the largest of all existing snakes on the planet. The reason for their success is incredible fearlessness and teamwork.

The female, who holds the leading position in the family, brings posterity twice a year. Puppies are born blind and helpless, only after 4 weeks they are able to see the world around them. Small otters do not rush into the water, so adults often throw them into the river forcibly, so that they learn to swim. All members of the family are blood relatives. This is a pair of parents and their children of different ages. Often, otters who have left their families at the age of two or three to find a partner, having failed, return to their parents, where they continue to live as part of a friendly and cheerful family.