1.5 Euro Giant otter

The giant otter (*Pteronura brasiliensis*) was listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List in 1999, with wild populations estimated at fewer than 5,000 individuals — decimated primarily by the South American fur trade of the mid-twentieth century, when pelts were exported to Europe in the thousands annually. Spain's Royal Mint has issued several denominations in this wildlife conservation series, with the 1.5 euro face value existing solely as a collector instrument; the denomination has no circulation use within the eurozone.