Amazon River Dolphin vs European otter

Inia geoffrensis compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

Amazon River Dolphin is Data Deficient while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Amazon River Dolphin	European otter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Iniidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Inia	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Inia geoffrensis	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Amazon River Dolphin and European otter share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

View Class: Mammalia

Conservation Status

Amazon River Dolphin

DD — Data Deficient

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Amazon River Dolphin	European otter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Amazon River Dolphin

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

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.

Amazon River Dolphin

The Amazon River Dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) is a species in the genus Inia. Its conservation status is listed as Data Deficient, indicating insufficient data for assessment. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.