loutre, loutre deurope vs Margay

Lutra lutra compared with Leopardus wiedii

Key Differences

• loutre, loutre deurope is Vulnerable while Margay is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	loutre, loutre deurope	Margay
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (mammifères)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order same	Carnivora (carnivores)	Carnivora (carnivores)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Leopardus
Species	Lutra lutra	Leopardus wiedii

Evolutionary Relationship

loutre, loutre deurope and Margay share a common ancestor at the Order level: Carnivora. (carnivores)

Conservation Status

loutre, loutre deurope

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Margay

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic 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.

Margay

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.