European otter vs Floating Fern

Lutra lutra compared with Salvinia natans

Key Differences

• European otter is Vulnerable while Floating Fern is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European otter	Floating Fern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Salviniales (Salviniales)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Salviniaceae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Salvinia
Species	Lutra lutra	Salvinia natans

Conservation Status

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Floating Fern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Floating Fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (4 countries), Europe (9 countries), North America (Honduras), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

European otter

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden