ON THE CURRENT OCCURRENCE OF THE NEOTROPICAL OTTER (Lontra longicaudis OLFERS, 1818) IN A DEGRADED RIVER AFTER A DAM COLLAPSE, SOUTHEAST BRAZIL

摘要

© 2022, IUCN/SSC Otter Specialist Group Bulletin. All Rights Reserved.The Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) is a semi-aquatic predator that occurs in a wide geographic distribution in the Neotropical region, and can be used as indicator of ecosystem health. In January 2019, the Paraopeba River, which has historically been affected by anthropic activities, was impacted by the B1 iron ore tailings’ dam collapse. This might have caused severe negative impacts to the entire fauna of the region. We carried out an inventory along the Paraopeba River to assess the current occurrence of the Neotropical otter in such asystem. The results obtained indicate the occurrence of this species in the study region eight months after the damage, with records upstream and downstream of B1 dam.