Giant otters are among the Amazon’s toughest predators. Living in a remote lake deep in the Peruvian rainforest, they share their territory with hundreds of black caimans, anacondas, jaguars and pumas.
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The black caiman is one of the Amazon’s apex predators, a stealthy hunter that preys on mammals using ambush tactics and sheer power. With six cubs to defend, the otter family in this Amazon lake are on high alert.
While the cubs keep their distance, the adult otters begin to harass the caiman. One moves in from behind, going for the tail, but the caiman refuses to back down and begins to fight back.
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As the commotion escalates, the cubs panic and move into the middle of the fight; the adult otters have to step up the assault to protect their young.
Realising it’s outnumbered, the caiman then tries to head to the safety of the bushes. But it’s too late. Penning it in, some otters hold it down, while others bite it in the head.
Incredibly they overcome it – and after nearly an hour of battle, the giant otters defeat the caiman.
Watch otters fight a deadly black caiman
The footage originally appeared in the BBC's Natural World: Giant Otters of the Amazon.
