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CASE REPORT article

Front. Mamm. Sci.

Sec. Life History and Conservation

This article is part of the Research TopicGlobal Threats to Otter Health: Parasites, Disease, and Anthropogenic StressorsView all 8 articles

Ophthalmic and associated systemic disorders in free-ranging giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) documented through video frames and photographs

Provisionally accepted
Grazielle SoresiniGrazielle Soresini1,2*Nathalie FoersterNathalie Foerster1,2André T. SommaAndré T. Somma3Fabiano A. da SilvaFabiano A. da Silva1Carolina RibasCarolina Ribas4Caroline LeuchtenbergerCaroline Leuchtenberger2,5,6Guilherme MourãoGuilherme Mourão7
  • 1Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Campo Grande, Brazil
  • 2IUCN Species Survival Commission, Otter Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland
  • 3Pontificia Universidade Catolica do Parana Escola de Medicina e Ciencias da Vida, Curitiba, Brazil
  • 4Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, Brazil
  • 5Instituto Federal Farroupilha, Coordenação de Ciências Biológicas, Panambi, Brazil
  • 6Projeto Ariranhas, Arroio do Meio, Brazil
  • 7Embrapa Pantanal, Laboratório de Vida Selvagem, Corumbá, Brazil

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The present study aims to report the occurrence of ophthalmic and associated systemic disorders in giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) from the Brazilian Pantanal. This mustelid species is classified globally as Endangered and faces increasing threats from various human activities and diseases from domestic animals across most of its range, including Brazil. Over a 10-year period, we recorded 12 wild giant otters showing signs of ophthalmic diseases, as well as other systemic abnormalities. In this study, we describe the ocular conditions based on an analysis of digital-video frames and photographs, discuss potential causes, and highlight the concern that the long-term survival of the giant otter population in a specific area of the southern Brazilian Pantanal may be at risk.

Keywords: Conservation Threats, Eye, Lutrinae, Mammal, Ophthalmology, wildlife health status

Received: 24 May 2025; Accepted: 31 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Soresini, Foerster, Somma, da Silva, Ribas, Leuchtenberger and Mourão. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Grazielle Soresini, grasoresini@gmail.com

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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