Angular rough shark vs small tortoiseshell

Oxynotus paradoxus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Angular rough shark is Vulnerable while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Angular rough shark	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Squaliformes (Squaliformes)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Oxynotidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Oxynotus	Aglais
Species	Oxynotus paradoxus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Angular rough shark and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Angular rough shark

VU — Vulnerable

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Angular rough shark	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Angular rough shark

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Portugal. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

small tortoiseshell

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (41 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Angular rough shark

The Angular rough shark (Oxynotus paradoxus) is a species in the genus Oxynotus. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

small tortoiseshell

small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) 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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal