In the wild, giant river otter families work together to chase off predators like caimans and jaguars, and trespassing otters from rival families. Socially-integrated otter families cooperate better. That’s why our otters play together so often – it strengthens the social bonds essential for the survival of the family!

Depending on the day of your visit, you may see Carlos, Carmen and their 2016 litter, or Chico and Carla, born to Carlos and Carmen earlier in 2014.

The otters’ white throat markings are unique like our fingerprints and used for identification. They have a keen sense of smell and can tell family members from intruders by sniffing one another. To mark out their territorial boundaries, they smear secretions from their anal glands all around their ‘home ground’. If you see our otters rubbing their bodies against parts of the exhibit, looking like they’re scratching an itch, you know now they’re actually scent marking.

Our otters love chasing bubbles in the water. They also enjoy picking up rocks and watching them sink to the bottom of the pool, before repeating the entire process again. To further encourage their instinct to explore, our keepers provide the otters with enrichment toys, in the form of a simple boomer ball which they can roll and chase, or a few branches to excite them with new scents. On hot days, an ice block may be given to provide them with a sensory treat.

Otter pups do not know how to swim and need to be taught by their parents. You can’t tell by their cheeky looks but Carlos and Carmen were extremely strict swimming instructors. They would take their pups by their neck and hold them in water while they struggled. At times, the pups looked like they would drown, prompting some guests to approach our keepers in concern. The pups have come a long way from then. Today, they are just as agile in the water as their parents.