The information below comes from
Duplaix (1980),
Otternet, and the
Frankfurt Zoological Society
Giant Otter Project
Predators
Adult Giant Otters have few predators apart from Man, as they are at
the top of the food chain. Jaguars (Panthera onca) and
Pumas (Felis concolor) may occasionally take inattentive
animals. The altricial young are sometimes taken by the same
predators, and may also fall victim to black caiman
(Melanosuchus niger ) and anaconda
(Eunectes murinus), hence the great care taken of the
young by the rest of the group.
Competitors
The Giant Otter shares its habitat with other large fish-eating
predators, such as black caiman, various large piscivorous fish
such as the arapaima (Arapaima gigas), and river dolphins
(Inia geoffrensis in the Amazon River system and
Sotalia fluviatilis in the Amazon and Orinoco), but since
the otters seek out habitats with ample food supplies, direct
competition is probably minimal.
The Neotropical Otter, Lontra longicaudis, inhabits the
same geographical areas, but has a different lifestyle, targeting
smaller prey, so they occupy a different ecological niche to
their larger cousins.
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