Cape mole-rat vs European otter

Georychus capensis compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

Cape mole-rat is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cape mole-rat	European otter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Bathyergidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Georychus	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Georychus capensis	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Cape mole-rat and European otter share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

View Class: Mammalia

Conservation Status

Cape mole-rat

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cape mole-rat	European otter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cape mole-rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.

Cape mole-rat

The Cape Mole-rat (Georychus capensis) is a species in the genus Georychus. It is currently classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. 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.