What Is Echocardiography? Echocardiography (EK-o-kar-de-OG-rah-fee), or echo, is a painless test that uses sound waves to create moving pictures of your heart. The pictures show the size and shape of your heart. They also show how well your heart's chambers and valves are working.
Taxonomy/Description. The Giant Otter's scientific name is Pteronura brasiliensis, which means winged tail belonging to Brazil, although this otter species is not limited to Brazil. Winged refers to the fin-like shape of the giant otter's tail. The giant otter is a member of the weasel family, Mustelidae, in the Mammalian Order of Carnivora.
Giant otter belongs to a family of carnivorous mammals called mustelid. Giant otters are endemic (live only there and nowhere else) for the South America, and they can be found in the Orinoco, Amazon and La Plata River systems. They prefer slow-moving rivers, lakes, swamps and flooded forests during the rainy season.