A second litter of endangered Giant River Otters were born at Zoo Miami.
The otters were born on Nov. 3 to mother Kara and father Witoto. Of the four pups born, two females survived. A male was stillborn and a second male died after birth.
Zoo officials said it wasn’t uncommon to lose pups, especially since the parents were still caring for otters born in January. The two newborns were being monitored by zookeepers and are in a den away from the exhibit. They will introduced to the exhibit in several weeks.
The pups are about a foot long and weigh almost one pound. Commonly called River Wolves, Giant Otters are the world’s longest otters, the zoo said. They can reach about 6 feet and weigh close to 75 pounds.
They live in remote areas near freshwater lakes, rivers, creeks and reservoirs in tropical South America.
They have been hunted and their habitat destroyed. They live about 12 years in the wild and 21 years in captivity.
