Habitat
The Lontra Provocax is native to the southernmost parts
of Chile and Argentina these areas are known as Terra del
Fuego and Patagonia, where one of its common
names Patagonian river otter originates from. It is classified
as an endangered species and can only be found in small pockets.
L. provocax is a semiaquatic mammal. It spends part of
its time on land and part of its time in the water. It has shown
no preference towards marine or freshwater environments, it
makes its home along freshwater
Lontra provocax in its natural habitat
rivers as well as near marine tidal zones. Besides rivers and tidal zones the southern river otter has also been known to make its home in swamplands, marshes, and coastal wetlands that are common in the Terra del Fuego archipelago. While the otters are not too picky about freshwater vs saltwater, semiaquatic plants and vegetation are important parts of its habitat. This provides shelter and plenty of places for it to make its home. Fallen logs, abandoned beaver homes, and bank dens are all ideal homes for the otters. The otters make their homes in places where food sources are plentiful; places that have a lot of mollusk, and crustacean life will often also be home to otters that prey them. The otters share there environment with other mustelids like the American mink; many studies have been conducted to see whether their shared environment affects competition between the two.
photo of map: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0401/feature3/map.html
photo of otter: http://galleryhip.com/river-otter-habitat.html
Resources:
Medina-Vogel G. C. Gonzalez-Lagos. 2008. Habitat use and diet of endangered southern river otter Lontra provocax in a predominantly palustrine wetland in Chile. Wildlife Biology, 14(2):211-220.