Otter, Fischotter vs Kleiner Fuchs

Lutra lutra compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Otter, Fischotter is Vulnerable while Kleiner Fuchs is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Otter, Fischotter	Kleiner Fuchs
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Insecta (Insekten)
Order	Carnivora (Raubtiere)	Lepidoptera (Schmetterlinge)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Aglais
Species	Lutra lutra	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Otter, Fischotter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Kleiner Fuchs

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Otter, Fischotter	Kleiner Fuchs
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.

Kleiner Fuchs

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (41 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Kleiner Fuchs

small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

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