The otter Lontra Gray, 1843 (Mustelidae, Lutrinae) in the late Pleistocene – early Holocene of Uruguay

Abstract

Within the order Carnivora, mustelids represent the most diverse family worldwide, with a great ecomorphological diversity in terms of diet, size and locomotory adaptations. Among them, the subfamily Lutrinae corresponds to semiaquatic forms, in which the genus Lontra is included. Widely distributed at present day, this genus is represented by three species across South America (Lontra longicaudis, Lontra felina and Lontra provocax), however their fossil record in the continent is very scarce. In the present contribution, new fossil material assigned to the Neotropical otter Lontra cf. L. longicaudis are described from late Pleistocene – early Holocene (Lujanian Stage/Age) deposits of Uruguay (Sopas and Dolores formations). Based on these findings, some aspects related to the knowledge of the group, paleoecology and paleoenvironmental conditions are discussed.