Schwarzer Apollo vs Otter, Fischotter

Parnassius mnemosyne compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

• Schwarzer Apollo is Near Threatened while Otter, Fischotter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Schwarzer Apollo	Otter, Fischotter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Insecta (Insekten)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge)	Carnivora (Raubtiere)
Family	Papilionidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Parnassius	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Parnassius mnemosyne	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Schwarzer Apollo and Otter, Fischotter share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Schwarzer Apollo

NT — Near Threatened

Otter, Fischotter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Schwarzer Apollo	Otter, Fischotter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Schwarzer Apollo

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (33 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Schwarzer Apollo

Clouded Apollo (Parnassius mnemosyne) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine