dooryard sowbug vs European polecat

Porcellio laevis compared with Mustela putorius

Key Differences

• dooryard sowbug is Least Concern while European polecat is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	dooryard sowbug	European polecat
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	Mustela
Species	Porcellio laevis	Mustela putorius

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

dooryard sowbug

LC — Least Concern

European polecat

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	dooryard sowbug	European polecat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

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 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 8 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden