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Solitary river otters in Brazil use a rich repertoire of vocalizations during play and conflict, according to a study publishing May 26 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, by Sabrina Bettoni, Tecumseh Fitch, and colleagues at the University of Vienna.
Chirp, chuckle and growl: Neotropical river otters call out to communicate
by Liz Kimbrough on 26 May 2021
Researchers observed and recorded captive neotropical river otters in Brazil and published the first formal description of their vocal repertoire.
Neotropical river otters make six sounds, characterized as chirp, squeak, chuckle, hah, growl, and scream, which are used in different social interactions.
The neotropical otter is classified as near threatened by the IUCN; otters were heavily hunted for their pelts from the 1950s through the 1970s which led to local extinctions, and although they’re now protected, they still face threats from poaching, habitat destruction, water pollution and mining.