European otter vs Mountain Webcap

Lutra lutra compared with Cortinarius alpinus

Key Differences

European otter is Vulnerable while Mountain Webcap is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European otter	Mountain Webcap
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Cortinariaceae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Cortinarius
Species	Lutra lutra	Cortinarius alpinus

Conservation Status

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Mountain Webcap

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European otter	Mountain Webcap
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.

Mountain Webcap

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

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.