American Water Plantain vs European otter

Alisma subcordatum compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

American Water Plantain is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Water Plantain	European otter
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Alismatales (Alismatales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Alismataceae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Alisma	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Alisma subcordatum	Lutra lutra

Conservation Status

American Water Plantain

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Water Plantain	European otter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Water Plantain

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Canada and United States.

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.

American Water Plantain

The American Water Plantain (Alisma subcordatum) is a species in the genus Alisma. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

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.