Common Periwinkle vs European pine marten

Littorina littorea compared with Martes martes

Key Differences

• Common Periwinkle is Least Concern while European pine marten is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Periwinkle	European pine marten
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Littorinimorpha (Littorinimorpha)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Littorinidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Littorina	Martes
Species	Littorina littorea	Martes martes

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Periwinkle and European pine marten share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Periwinkle

LC — Least Concern

European pine marten

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Periwinkle	European pine marten
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Periwinkle

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Found across Europe (4 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

European pine marten

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Periwinkle

Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

European pine marten

European pine marten (Martes martes) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden