loutre, loutre deurope vs Sepia stingray

Lutra lutra compared with Urolophus aurantiacus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	loutre, loutre deurope	Sepia stingray
Kingdom same	Animalia (animal)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (mammifères)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Carnivora (carnivores)	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Urolophidae
Genus	Lutra (Otters)	Urolophus
Species	Lutra lutra	Urolophus aurantiacus

Evolutionary Relationship

loutre, loutre deurope and Sepia stingray share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

loutre, loutre deurope

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Sepia stingray

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	loutre, loutre deurope	Sepia stingray
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.

Sepia stingray

Habitat

Native to Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.