Eiderente vs Otter, Fischotter

Somateria mollissima compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

Eiderente is Near Threatened while Otter, Fischotter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eiderente	Otter, Fischotter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Aves (Vögel)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Anseriformes (Gänsevögel)	Carnivora (Raubtiere)
Family	Anatidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Somateria	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Somateria mollissima	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Eiderente and Otter, Fischotter share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordatiere)

Ansehen Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Eiderente

NT — Near Threatened

Otter, Fischotter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eiderente

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). 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.

Eiderente

Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) 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.