Ebony Cup vs European otter

Pseudoplectania nigrella compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

Ebony Cup is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ebony Cup	European otter
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Pezizomycetes (Pezizomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Pezizales (Pezizales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Sarcosomataceae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Pseudoplectania	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Pseudoplectania nigrella	Lutra lutra

Conservation Status

Ebony Cup

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ebony Cup

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States.

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.