Amur Hedgehog vs Cotton Thistle

Erinaceus amurensis compared with Onopordum acanthium

Key Differences

• Amur Hedgehog is Least Concern while Cotton Thistle is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Amur Hedgehog	Cotton Thistle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Erinaceidae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Erinaceus	Onopordum
Species	Erinaceus amurensis	Onopordum acanthium

Conservation Status

Amur Hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Cotton Thistle

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Amur Hedgehog	Cotton Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Amur Hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Japan.

Cotton Thistle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Georgia, India, Japan), Europe (22 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Amur Hedgehog

The Amur Hedgehog (Erinaceus amurensis) is a species in the genus Erinaceus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇯🇵 Japan