musaraigne aquatique vs loutre, loutre deurope

Neomys fodiens compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

• musaraigne aquatique is Endangered while loutre, loutre deurope is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	musaraigne aquatique	loutre, loutre deurope
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (mammifères)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Carnivora (carnivores)
Family	Soricidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Neomys	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Neomys fodiens	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

musaraigne aquatique and loutre, loutre deurope share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mammifères)

Conservation Status

musaraigne aquatique

EN — Endangered

loutre, loutre deurope

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	musaraigne aquatique	loutre, loutre deurope
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

musaraigne aquatique

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

loutre, loutre deurope

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.

musaraigne aquatique

Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

loutre, loutre deurope

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden