European otter vs Tickclover

Lutra lutra compared with Desmodium incanum

Key Differences

• European otter is Vulnerable while Tickclover is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European otter	Tickclover
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Fabaceae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Desmodium
Species	Lutra lutra	Desmodium incanum

Conservation Status

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Tickclover

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European otter	Tickclover
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.

Tickclover

Habitat

Inhabits flooded grasslands and savannas within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (10 countries), Asia (Japan), North America (4 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (12 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

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.