Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine vs Nutria

Sphiggurus melanurus compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

• Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine is Least Concern while Nutria is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine	Nutria
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family	Erethizontidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Sphiggurus	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Sphiggurus melanurus	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine and Nutria share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mamíferos)

Conservation Status

Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine

LC — Least Concern

Nutria

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine	Nutria
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Venezuela.

Nutria

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.

Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine

The Black-tailed Hairy Dwarf Porcupine (Sphiggurus melanurus) is a species in the genus Sphiggurus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found in Venezuela.

Nutria

Mustelido semiacuático de cuerpo esbelto que habita a lo largo de ríos limpios, arroyos y costas de Europa y Asia. La nutria europea (Lutra lutra) puede alcanzar 1,3 metros de longitud y es una cazadora de peces altamente habilidosa, utilizando bigotes sensibles para detectar los movimientos de sus presas. Al requerir aguas no contaminadas con abundancia de peces, es una especie indicadora de la salud de los ecosistemas de agua dulce. Casi extinta en Europa Occidental por la caza y la contaminación, las poblaciones se han recuperado significativamente tras las mejoras en la calidad del agua.