Beak Willow vs European otter

Salix bebbiana compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

Beak Willow is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Beak Willow	European otter
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Malpighiales (Malpighiales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Salicaceae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Salix	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Salix bebbiana	Lutra lutra

Conservation Status

Beak Willow

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Beak Willow

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Canada, Norway, Sweden, 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.

Beak Willow

The Beak Willow (Salix bebbiana) is a species in the genus Salix. It is currently classified as Least Concern 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.