Giant Otter vs Water yam

Pteronura brasiliensis compared with Dioscorea alata

Key Differences

• Giant Otter is Endangered while Water yam is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Giant Otter	Water yam
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Dioscoreaceae
Genus	Pteronura	Dioscorea
Species	Pteronura brasiliensis	Dioscorea alata

Conservation Status

Giant Otter

EN — Endangered

Water yam

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Giant Otter	Water yam
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Giant Otter

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Water yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (16 countries), Asia (Maldives, Taiwan), Europe (United Kingdom), North America (13 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (4 countries), and South America (6 countries).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇻🇪 Venezuela