Blind Small-eared Shrew vs Otter, Fischotter

Cryptotis niausa compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

• Blind Small-eared Shrew is Data Deficient while Otter, Fischotter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blind Small-eared Shrew	Otter, Fischotter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class same	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Carnivora (Raubtiere)
Family	Soricidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Cryptotis	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Cryptotis niausa	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Blind Small-eared Shrew and Otter, Fischotter share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Säugetiere)

Conservation Status

Blind Small-eared Shrew

DD — Data Deficient

Otter, Fischotter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blind Small-eared Shrew	Otter, Fischotter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blind Small-eared Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador.

Otter, Fischotter

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.

Blind Small-eared Shrew

The Blind Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis niausa) is a species in the genus Cryptotis. It is currently classified as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Otter, Fischotter

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.