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The neotropical otter or neotropical river otter (''Lontra longicaudis'') is an otter species found in Central America, South America and the island of Trinidad.〔 Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is of data deficient〕 They are physically similar to the northern and southern river otter, which occur directly north and south of this species' range. The length of the neotropical otter can range from , of which the tail comprises about a third. Body weight ranges from .〔Berry, K. (2000). (''Lontra longicaudis'' ). Animal Diversity Web〕 Otters are members of the family Mustelidae, the most species-rich (and therefore diverse) family in the order Carnivora. Since 2008, this otter has been classed as Data Deficient. This otter is found in many different riverine habitats; including deciduous and evergreen forests, savannas, llanos and pantanal. They prefer to live in clear fast-flowing rivers and streams. They are a relatively solitary animal and feed mostly on fish and crustaceans. ==Characteristics== The neotropical otter is covered in a short, dark grayish-brown pelage. Fur color is lighter around the muzzle and throat.〔Bertonatti,C., and A. Parera. (1994). Lobito de rio. Revista Vida Silvestre. Nuestro libro rojo, fundacion vida silvrestre Argentina, Ficha No. 34〕 They possess a long wide tail, with short stout legs and fully webbed toes.〔Emmons. L. H. (1990). ''Neotropical Rainforest Mammals, a field guide''. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.〕 Sexually dimorphic, the males are about 25% larger than the females. Body mass of the otter generally ranges from 5 to 15 kilograms. Neotropical otters will communicate with nearby otters via scent marking. Communication may also occur via whistles, hums, and screeches.〔 The dental formula seldom varies from that of Eurasian otters, except in the few cases of otters that have dental anomalies.〔Peters, F. B., Coelho, E. L., Vasconcelos, B. C. E., Roth, P. R. O., & Christoff, A. U. (2013). (Dental anomalies in ''Lontra longicaudis'' (carnivora: mustelidae) collected in southern Brazil ). IUCN Otter Specialist Group Bulletin, 30(1), 31–36.〕 Females and males have the same formula. The dental formula (for half the skull) is as follows:〔Melissen, A. (2000). (Husbandry guidelines for ''Lutra lutra'' ). otterspecialistgroup.org〕 *Upper: 3 incisors, 1 canine, 4 premolars, and 1 molar *Lower: 3 incisors, 1 canine, 3 premolars, and 2 molars 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「neotropical otter」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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