Mute Swan vs North American porcupine

Cygnus olor compared with Erethizon dorsatus

Key Differences

• Mute Swan is Near Threatened while North American porcupine is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Mute Swan	North American porcupine
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Anatidae	Erethizontidae
Genus	Cygnus	Erethizon
Species	Cygnus olor	Erethizon dorsatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Mute Swan and North American porcupine share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Mute Swan

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~600.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

North American porcupine

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Mute Swan	North American porcupine
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	20 years	—
Average Length	1.5 m	—
Average Weight	12.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Mute Swan

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 8 distinct biome types.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (4 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Dominican Republic, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Colombia, Peru). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

North American porcupine

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in United States.

Mute Swan

The most commonly encountered swan globally and one of the largest flying birds, mute swans weigh up to 15 kg and inhabit lakes, rivers, and coastal bays across Europe and Asia, with widespread introduced populations in North America and Australia. Despite their name, mute swans produce a range of hissing, grunting, and wing-whistling sounds. Males aggressively defend territories and are capable of injuring humans and drowning dogs with powerful wing strikes.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States