Bastard Scotch Thistle vs Mexican vole

Carduus nutans compared with Microtus mexicanus

Key Differences

• Bastard Scotch Thistle is Near Threatened while Mexican vole is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bastard Scotch Thistle	Mexican vole
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Cricetidae
Genus	Carduus	Microtus
Species	Carduus nutans	Microtus mexicanus

Conservation Status

Bastard Scotch Thistle

NT — Near Threatened

Mexican vole

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bastard Scotch Thistle	Mexican vole
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bastard Scotch Thistle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Neotropic and Oceanian realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (India), Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Mexican vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Bastard Scotch Thistle

The Bastard Scotch Thistle (Carduus nutans) is a species in the genus Carduus. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Neotropic and Oceanian realms.