Mammals
Marine Otter
Lontra felina · also called chungungo
Foraging almost entirely along rocky Pacific coastline rather than fresh water, a marine otter has taken the otter body plan further into the sea than nearly any of its relatives, hunting crustaceans and fish among crevices battered by open ocean surf.
Overview
The marine otter, Lontra felina, is an Endangered mammal native to ocean and coastal habitat along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile. Its status as the most fully marine of all otter species, its restriction to rugged rocky coastline, and its history of severe fur-trade hunting make it one of the more ecologically specialised and conservation-critical otter species found anywhere in the world.
An otter that chose the ocean over the river
While nearly every other otter species built its life around rivers, lakes, or sheltered wetlands, the marine otter instead committed almost entirely to the open Pacific coastline, a rare full transition to marine life within a family otherwise dominated by freshwater specialists.
Status
Endangered, with populations remaining fragmented and declining across much of their historical range, driven by historical fur hunting and ongoing habitat disturbance.
Marine Otter: common questions
Why is the marine otter considered unusual among otters?
This species lives almost entirely in the sea, spending far more of its life in coastal marine waters than nearly all other otter species, most of which favour fresh water instead.
What is the marine otter called locally?
This species is known locally by the name chungungo across parts of its range along the Pacific coast of South America.
Why did the marine otter decline so severely?
This species was hunted heavily for its fur throughout the twentieth century, a pressure that drove significant historical population declines across much of its range.
What kind of coastline does the marine otter prefer?
This species is restricted to rocky Pacific coastlines, rarely found in the sheltered bays or sandy beaches favoured by some other marine mammals.