Ake-ake vs European otter

Olearia traversii compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

Ake-ake is Near Threatened while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ake-ake	European otter
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Olearia	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Olearia traversii	Lutra lutra

Conservation Status

Ake-ake

NT — Near Threatened

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ake-ake	European otter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ake-ake

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Ireland, Netherlands, and United Kingdom. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

European otter

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Ake-ake

The Ake-ake (Olearia traversii) is a species in the genus Olearia. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

European otter

Sleek semi-aquatic mustelid found along clean rivers, streams, and coastlines across Europe and Asia. European otters can reach 1.3 meters in length and are highly skilled fish hunters, using sensitive whiskers to detect prey movements. Requiring unpolluted water with abundant fish, they are an indicator species for freshwater ecosystem health. Once nearly extinct in Western Europe from hunting and pollution, populations have recovered significantly following water quality improvements.