River otter

For the river in Devon, England, see River Otter

River otter refers to several species of aquatic mustelids within the genera Lutra, Lontra and Pteronura, which mainly inhabit rivers and other freshwater locations. This distinguishes them from the sea otter and marine otter which are true marine mammals.

Specific types of river otter include:

• European otter, may also be found in coastal locations, for instance in Scotland; however it does need access to freshwater in order to clean its fur
• Giant otter, a rare inhabitant of the Amazon River
• Japanese river otter, a subspecies of European otter now believed to be extinct
• Neotropical river otter, a species found in Central America, South America, and Trinidad
• North American river otter, a common animal in North American waterways
• Southern river otter, found in Chile and Argentina