Comments on: Attack of the Giant Otter

By: flame821

flame821 — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 22:15:28 +0000

Possible fossil of a Dobhar-Chu Apparently they were a transitional form of seal. Not sure how accurate the artists rendering is, but the description of the animal surely fits. The scientific name is puijila darwinii.

By: flame821

flame821 — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 06:29:48 +0000

I have to agree with the others regarding the Dobhar-Chu, as they are known to attack without warning or provocation, mauling their victims. I know the stories usually peg the Dobhar-Chu as 7 feet or more, but legends tend to be exaggerated. So it look as though now we have even more proof that the Irish Crocodile is a large river otter as opposed to some sort of pinniped. Wonder if any of them still exist in the wild? I don’t ever recall hearing of a mass killing of them, and if the legends of them being white and black are true their fur would tend to stand out if it were made into a coat.

By: Hapa

Hapa — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 21:38:53 +0000

The Giant South American Otter is also called the River Wolf, and for good reason: it kills and eats, among other animals, piranhas, anacondas and caimans. Its an apex river predator. The River Wolf/Giant Otter, due to its size and ferocity, is the Dobhar-Chu (Pronounced "Durra-Goo") of the New World.

By: Markus

Markus — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 17:50:37 +0000

According to press the women had to be placed in temporary coma at first but now is awake. But it is not clear at the moment if she can use her arm ever again. Beside the heavily wounded exhibition cleaner also two zookeeper who tried to help her were bitten.

It is according to the zoo after 50 years the first incident with such serious violations.

By: Troodon56

Troodon56 — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 16:54:10 +0000

I have recently noticed that otters can be quite aggressive, towards humans, occasionally.
For example, this Giant Otter attack reminds me of the Dobhar-Chu, a cryptid from Ireland. I remember reading somewhere that, sometime during the 18th Century, it attacked and killed a woman, and that her grave says that she was killed by a Dobhar-Chu. I wonder if the Dobhar-Chu is somehow related to this Giant Otter?
Anyway, this is a very interesting incident, and it will hopefully help to shed some new light, on the behaviour of otters!