Cupped Ear vs European polecat

Otidea cantharella compared with Mustela putorius

Key Differences

• Cupped Ear is Least Concern while European polecat is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cupped Ear	European polecat
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Pezizomycetes (Pezizomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Pezizales (Pezizales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Otideaceae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Otidea	Mustela
Species	Otidea cantharella	Mustela putorius

Conservation Status

Cupped Ear

LC — Least Concern

European polecat

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cupped Ear	European polecat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cupped Ear

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

European polecat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (10 countries) and South America (Brazil, Colombia). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

European polecat

European polecat (Mustela putorius) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden