• Corpus ID: 54591685

Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) at risk? Total mercury and methylmercury levels in fish and otter scats, Peru

@inproceedings{Gutleb1997GiantO,
  title={Giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) at risk? Total mercury and methylmercury levels in fish and otter scats, Peru},
  author={Arno C. Gutleb and Christof Schenck and Elke Staib},
  year={1997}
}

• A. Gutleb, C. Schenck, E. Staib
• Published 1997
• Environmental Science

Mercury and methylmercury levels in fish muscle and scats of the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) of Manu National Park, Peru, and in one gold-mining area in the vicinity of its borders were analyzed. In 68% of fish muscles, total mercury levels exceeded the proposed maximum tolerable level of 0.1 mg kg-' fresh weight in fish for the European otter (Lutra lutra), and 17.6% exceeded 0.5 mg kg-1 fresh weight, the most common standard for human consumption. The ratio of methylmercury to total mercury in fish muscle was from 61.3% up to 96.9%. No methylmercury and only traces of inorganic mercury could be detected in the otter scats. No data for tissue concentrations of the giant otter are available at the moment, but as a high percentage of fish levels exceeded the tolerable level, as given for the European otter, a possible risk of mercury intoxication in the giant otter can be postulated, on the basis of mercury intoxication in free-living otters in Europe and North America described in the past.