''Satherium'' is an extinct genus of

otters Otters are carnivorous mammals in the subfamily Lutrinae. The 13 extant otter species are all semiaquatic, aquatic, or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates. Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family, which also includes ...

that lived in North America during the

Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the '' Ice age'') is the geological epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was finally confirmed ...

. Two species are known, ''

Satherium piscinarium ''Satherium piscinarium'' is an extinct species of giant otter of North America that lived during the Pliocene through Pleistocene from ~3.7–1.6 Ma. ( AEO). existing for approximately . ''Satherium piscinarium'' is stated to be related to th ...

'' and ''Satherium ingens''. ''S. piscinarium'' was originally classified as a species of ''

Lutra ''Lutra'' is a genus of otters, one of seven in the subfamily Lutrinae. Taxonomy and evolution The genus includes these species: Extant species Extinct species *†'' Lutra affinis'' *†'' Lutra bressana '' *†'' Lutra bravardi'' *†' ...

''. The

giant otter The giant otter or giant river otter (''Pteronura brasiliensis'') is a South American carnivorous mammal. It is the longest member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, a globally successful group of predators, reaching up to . Atypical of musteli ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the souther ...

is considered the closest living relative of this genus.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q19758218 Otters Prehistoric mustelids Prehistoric mammals of North America Pliocene mammals of North America Pleistocene mammals of North America Prehistoric mammal genera