Blue-Footed Pixie Lichen vs European otter

Cladonia cyanipes compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

Blue-Footed Pixie Lichen is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue-Footed Pixie Lichen	European otter
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Cladoniaceae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Cladonia	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Cladonia cyanipes	Lutra lutra

Conservation Status

Blue-Footed Pixie Lichen

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue-Footed Pixie Lichen	European otter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blue-Footed Pixie Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across 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.

Blue-Footed Pixie Lichen

The Blue Footed Pixie Lichen (Cladonia cyanipes) is a species in the genus Cladonia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

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.