European water vole vs Stoat, Ermine

Arvicola amphibius compared with Mustela erminea

Key Differences

• European water vole is Near Threatened while Stoat, Ermine is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European water vole	Stoat, Ermine
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Cricetidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Arvicola	Mustela
Species	Arvicola amphibius	Mustela erminea

Evolutionary Relationship

European water vole and Stoat, Ermine share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

European water vole

NT — Near Threatened

Stoat, Ermine

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European water vole	Stoat, Ermine
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

European water vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Stoat, Ermine

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Indonesia), Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Stoat, Ermine

Stoat, Ermine (Mustela erminea) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden