The Patagonian otter or huillín (Lontra provocax) is a large creature: 110 cm (3 ft. 7 in.), it can weigh up to 14 kg (31 lb.) and being a carnivore is more fearsome and bold.
I had the good fortune of spotting a small huillín in the Cajón del Azul on the Azul (blue) River, close to El Bolsón, Rio Negro province. It was probably 60 cm (2 ft) long and was capturing fish and swimming in a calm pool.
It is depicted in the Nahuel Huapi National Park's official shield (see image).
Otters in the wilc
They are an endangered species, having been pushed to the brink by environmental change caused by the introduction of trout and salmon from the Northern Hemisphere in the early 1900s, which wiped out the local fish (perch, silversides, catfish, puyen) that the otters fed on.
There are around 250 of them in the park and conservation efforts are underway to protect them. Below are some videos and views of them in the Park.
@econews.es 🐾 ¡Apareció un huillín en el Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi! 🔸 Esta nutria nativa está en peligro de extinción. Se estima que solo quedan unos 250 huillines en todo su hábitat natural. 🔸 En Nahuel Huapi vive la única población de agua dulce de Argentina. 📌 Por eso, el Parque lleva adelante un Proyecto de Conservación para estudiarlos y protegerlos. 📌 El huillín no solo habita estas aguas: es parte del alma del parque. 💬 Y vos, ¿qué pensás? 🎥 Parques Nacionales #huillín #animal #naturaleza ♬ original sound - EcoNews en Español
Otters can explain lake "monster" sightings.
The image above shows otters cavorting in a line (bottom) can be mistaken for a “Plesiosaur” (top). Their shiny dark pelt, webbed feet, flippers, long neck, small head, and “many humps” are features shared with Nahuelito. When seeing at a distance a snake-like monster with many humps swimming with a winding motion, the most likely explanation is that it is not what it seems (giant aquatic reptile), but something more normal such as a group of Patagonian otters. Patagonian otters (Huillines) enjoy swimming in a playful manner, diving, and resurfacing, and when they swim in line, something they often do, they may look like an extinct plesiosaur (see image above).
Patagonian Monsters - Cryptozoology, Myths & legends in Patagonia Copyright 2009-2025 by Austin Whittall ©
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