Nutria vs Pastinaca

Lutra lutra compared with Hypanus americanus

Key Differences

• Nutria is Vulnerable while Pastinaca is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Nutria	Pastinaca
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Carnivora (carnívoros)	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Dasyatidae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Hypanus
Species	Lutra lutra	Hypanus americanus

Evolutionary Relationship

Nutria and Pastinaca share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (cordados)

Conservation Status

Nutria

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Pastinaca

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Nutria	Pastinaca
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	10 years	—
Average Length	1.0 m	—
Average Weight	10.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Pastinaca

Habitat

Native to South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Venezuela. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.