alpine aster vs European otter

Aster alpinus compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

alpine aster is Not Evaluated while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	alpine aster	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	Aster	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Aster alpinus	Lutra lutra

Conservation Status

alpine aster

NE — Not Evaluated

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	alpine aster	European otter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

alpine aster

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden.

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.

alpine aster

The Alpine aster (Aster alpinus) is a species in the genus Aster. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions. Distributed across Belgium, Norway, and Sweden.

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.