Defining Neotropical Otter Lontra Longicaudis Distribution, Conservation Priorities and Ecological Frontiers:
2014
Understanding a species' occurrence requirements is essential for its conservation, and
species distributionmodels (SDMs) are a powerful tool for this purpose. Here we estimated a SDM based on actual distribution information, in relation to climatic, hydrological, human population, and vegetation data sets, to understand the ecological requirements and geographic distribution of the Neotropical
otter
Lontralongicaudis, a species whose habitat requirements and conservation needs are mostly unknown. Using MaxEnt, we defined its potential distribution and most suitable areas to indicate priority areas for research and to analyze the efficiency of Protected Areas (PAs). Our findings suggest that the range of Neotropical
otterscould extend beyond their present estimated distribution, adding new areas in northeastern Brazil, Andean region, west Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, and Argentina, with higher suitability in rain forests (especially Atlantic and Amazon Forests). We also found that PAs are the most...
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