Measuring up to almost two metres (6 feet) long, the giant otter is the largest of its kind.<\/p>\n
Found in the Amazon, Orinoco and R\u00edo de la Plata River systems of South America, these highly social creatures build underground burrows which can house large family groups.<\/p>\n
They primarily eat fish (such as perch, catfish and even piranha), but will also hunt crabs, snakes and even small anacondas and caimans.<\/p>\n
When filming for Giant Otters of the Amazon<\/em> (a 2013 episode of the BBC TV series Natural World<\/em>), wildlife filmmaker Charlie Hamilton-Jones followed one particular family of otters, headed up by Diablo, who resides with six cubs in a Peruvian lake.<\/p>\n As one of the toughest creatures in the Amazon jungle, giant otters are surrounded by black caimans, anacondas, jaguars and pumas.<\/p>\n But they are also highly territorial, and the animals the giant otters hunt can also pose a threat to their offspring.<\/p>\n And during filming, Charlie Hamilton-Jones captures \u201cnearly an hour of brutal fighting\u201d between the family and a caiman who refuses to back down. But who will win out?<\/p>\n