dooryard sowbug vs European otter

Porcellio laevis compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

dooryard sowbug is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	dooryard sowbug	European otter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Malacostraca (Crustaceans)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Isopoda (Isopoda)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Porcellionidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Porcellio	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Porcellio laevis	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

dooryard sowbug and European otter share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

View Kingdom: Animalia

Conservation Status

dooryard sowbug

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	dooryard sowbug	European otter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

dooryard sowbug

Habitat

Typically found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan), Europe (12 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

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.

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.