Giant Otter vs Redclaw

Pteronura brasiliensis compared with Cherax quadricarinatus

Key Differences

• Giant Otter is Endangered while Redclaw is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Giant Otter	Redclaw
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Malacostraca (Crustaceans)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Decapoda (Decapoda)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Parastacidae
Genus	Pteronura	Cherax
Species	Pteronura brasiliensis	Cherax quadricarinatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Giant Otter and Redclaw share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Giant Otter

EN — Endangered

Redclaw

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Giant Otter	Redclaw
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Giant Otter

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Redclaw

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (8 countries), Europe (8 countries), North America (5 countries), and South America (5 countries).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia