Otter, Fischotter vs short-stem iris

Lutra lutra compared with Iris brevicaulis

Key Differences

• Otter, Fischotter is Vulnerable while short-stem iris is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Otter, Fischotter	short-stem iris
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Insecta (Insekten)
Order	Carnivora (Raubtiere)	Mantodea (Fangschrecken)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Eremiaphilidae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Iris
Species	Lutra lutra	Iris brevicaulis

Evolutionary Relationship

Otter, Fischotter and short-stem iris share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Otter, Fischotter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

short-stem iris

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Otter, Fischotter	short-stem iris
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	10 years	—
Average Length	1.0 m	—
Average Weight	10.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

short-stem iris

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in Canada.

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.