Bank Vole vs European otter

Myodes glareolus compared with Lutra lutra

Key Differences

• Bank Vole is Least Concern while European otter is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bank Vole	European otter
Kingdom same	Animalia (động vật)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum same	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)
Class same	Mammalia (lớp Thú)	Mammalia (lớp Thú)
Order	Rodentia (Bộ Gặm nhấm)	Carnivora (bộ Ăn thịt)
Family	Cricetidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Myodes	Lutra (Otters)
Species	Myodes glareolus	Lutra lutra

Evolutionary Relationship

Bank Vole and European otter share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (lớp Thú)

Conservation Status

Bank Vole

LC — Least Concern

European otter

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bank Vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (Canada).

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.

Bank Vole

Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

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