American Copper vs European hare

Lycaena phlaeas compared with Lepus europaeus

Key Differences

• American Copper is Least Concern while European hare is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Copper	European hare
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Lagomorpha (Rabbits & Hares)
Family	Lycaenidae	Leporidae (Rabbits & Hares)
Genus	Lycaena	Lepus
Species	Lycaena phlaeas	Lepus europaeus

Evolutionary Relationship

American Copper and European hare share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

American Copper

LC — Least Concern

European hare

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Copper	European hare
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Copper

Habitat

Inhabits Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Cyprus), Europe (40 countries), and North America (Canada, United States).

European hare

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 7 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (10 countries), North America (4 countries), and South America (8 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

American Copper

American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas) 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 hare

European hare (Lepus europaeus) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 12 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇦 Canada 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States