Balkan Maple vs European otter

Acer hyrcanum compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

• Balkan Maple is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Maple	European otter
Kingdom	Plantae (thực vật)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (lớp Thú)
Order	Sapindales (bộ Bồ hòn)	Carnivora (bộ Ăn thịt)
Family	Sapindaceae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Acer	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Acer hyrcanum	Lutra lutra

Conservation Status

Balkan Maple

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Balkan Maple	European otter
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	10 years
Average Length	—	1.0 m
Average Weight	—	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Maple

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

European otter

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.

Balkan Maple

The Balkan Maple (Acer hyrcanum) is a species in the genus Acer. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

European otter

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.