Nutria vs Lesser Short-tailed Rat

Lutra lutra compared with Brachyuromys betsileoensis

Key Differences

• Nutria is Vulnerable while Lesser Short-tailed Rat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Nutria	Lesser Short-tailed Rat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Carnivora (carnívoros)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Nesomyidae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Brachyuromys
Species	Lutra lutra	Brachyuromys betsileoensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Nutria and Lesser Short-tailed Rat share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mamíferos)

Conservation Status

Nutria

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Lesser Short-tailed Rat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Nutria	Lesser Short-tailed Rat
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.

Lesser Short-tailed Rat

Habitat

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.