Overview Species Habitat & range Field practice Observation Safety

Otters fall into seven genera. Lutra, Lontra, and Aonyx account for most freshwater encounters; Enhydra (sea otter) is the only fully marine species.

The dominant freshwater lineage, found across Eurasia and the Americas. Slender bodies, prominent whiskers, partial webbing.

Eurasian otter — Europe, North Africa, much of Asia. North American river otter — Canada, US, northern Mexico. Neotropical river otter — Central and South America.

Larger, often more social species with regional ranges.

Giant otter — Amazon basin; up to 1.7 m long. African clawless otter — sub-Saharan Africa.

The marine outlier. Diurnal, raft-forming, tool-using. Enhydra lutris spans the North Pacific rim.