Common Jelly Spot vs Giant Otter

Dacrymyces stillatus compared with Pteronura brasiliensis

Key Differences

• Common Jelly Spot is Least Concern while Giant Otter is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Jelly Spot	Giant Otter
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Dacrymycetes (Dacrymycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Dacrymycetales (Dacrymycetales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Dacrymycetaceae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Dacrymyces	Pteronura
Species	Dacrymyces stillatus	Pteronura brasiliensis

Conservation Status

Common Jelly Spot

LC — Least Concern

Giant Otter

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Jelly Spot	Giant Otter
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Jelly Spot

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

Giant Otter

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Jelly Spot

<em>Dacrymyces stillatus</em>, commonly known as the common jelly spot, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Dacrymycetaceae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with records from five European countries and North America. The species typically grows on damp, dead, or decaying wood, particularly coniferous timber, forming small, gelatinous, orange-yellow cushions or pustules on the substrate surface. As a saprotrophic wood-decay fungus, it contributes to nutrient cycling and the decomposition of woody material in temperate forest ecosystems. The bright gelatinous fruiting bodies make it a conspicuous species when encountered on wet wood in cool, humid conditions. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.