Atlantic Dolphin vs small tortoiseshell

Delphinus delphis compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Atlantic Dolphin is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Atlantic Dolphin	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Delphinus	Aglais
Species	Delphinus delphis	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

Atlantic Dolphin and small tortoiseshell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Atlantic Dolphin

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Atlantic Dolphin	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Atlantic Dolphin

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

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.

Atlantic Dolphin

Atlantic Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) 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.

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 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇦 Ukraine