Brazilian Guinea pig vs Nutria

Cavia aperea compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

Brazilian Guinea pig is Least Concern while Nutria is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brazilian Guinea pig	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	Caviidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Cavia	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Cavia aperea	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Brazilian Guinea pig and Nutria share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mamíferos)

Vista Class: Mammalia

Conservation Status

Brazilian Guinea pig

LC — Least Concern

Nutria

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brazilian Guinea pig	Nutria
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brazilian Guinea pig

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and 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.

Brazilian Guinea pig

The Brazilian Guinea pig (Cavia aperea) is a species in the genus Cavia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.