Otter, Fischotter vs willow hakea

Lutra lutra compared with Hakea salicifolia

Key Differences

Otter, Fischotter is Vulnerable while willow hakea is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Otter, Fischotter	willow hakea
Kingdom	Animalia (Tier)	Plantae (Pflanzen)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Carnivora (Raubtiere)	Proteales (Silberbaumartige)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Proteaceae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Hakea
Species	Lutra lutra	Hakea salicifolia

Conservation Status

Otter, Fischotter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

willow hakea

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Otter, Fischotter	willow hakea
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.

willow hakea

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Eswatini, South Africa), Asia (India), Europe (5 countries), and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand).

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.