Alpine Emerald vs European otter

Somatochlora alpestris compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

• Alpine Emerald is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Emerald	European otter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Corduliidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Somatochlora	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Somatochlora alpestris	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpine Emerald and European otter share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Alpine Emerald

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Emerald

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across 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 Emerald

The Alpine Emerald (Somatochlora alpestris) is a species in the genus Somatochlora. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats. Distributed across 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden