European otter vs rough-leaf hydrangea

Lutra lutra compared with Hydrangea aspera

Key Differences

European otter is Vulnerable while rough-leaf hydrangea is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European otter	rough-leaf hydrangea
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Cornales (Cornales)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Hydrangeaceae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Hydrangea
Species	Lutra lutra	Hydrangea aspera

Conservation Status

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

rough-leaf hydrangea

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European otter	rough-leaf hydrangea
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.

rough-leaf hydrangea

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Sweden, and Taiwan.

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.