European otter vs tiny risso snail

Lutra lutra compared with Rissoa parva

Key Differences

• European otter is Vulnerable while tiny risso snail is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European otter	tiny risso snail
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Littorinimorpha (Littorinimorpha)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Rissoidae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Rissoa
Species	Lutra lutra	Rissoa parva

Evolutionary Relationship

European otter and tiny risso snail share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

tiny risso snail

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European otter	tiny risso snail
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.

tiny risso snail

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden