Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis): a database of specimens held in major Brazilian zoological collections

Abstract

This dataset compiles information on giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) specimens housed in the major zoological collections of Brazil. We have personally examined the specimens, which constitute of skins, crania, and partial skeletons. We compiled information on collector, date, and locality of the specimens. A total of 56 giant otter specimens housed in six zoological collections were located. Of this total, 12 specimens do not have associated locality information. Of special relevance are the specimens from the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo, as they document the presence of the giant otter in the Atlantic rainforest, where it is now extirpated. Our dataset may be used in studies on distribution (past and present) of the species, and to delineate conservation policies of the giant otter. The specimens from the Atlantic rainforest may be used in museomics analyses, as they may represent lost haplotypes of P. brasiliensis.

Reconstructing the historical distribution and local extinction of the giant otter Pteronura brasiliensis in the Atlantic Forest of South America

“…As also stated by other researchers, P. brasiliensis was not recorded in the Atlantic Forest north of the São Francisco River, even in the 17th-century accounts of Europeans (Carter & Rosas, 1997;Mendes Pontes et al, 2016;Garbino et al, 2018;Siciliano et al, 2021). This Atlantic Forest region, known as Pernambuco Endemism Center, consists of a narrow strip of humid forest bordered by the dry forests of the Caatinga biome (Ribeiro et al, 2009).…”