beech marten vs small tortoiseshell

Martes foina compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• beech marten is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	beech marten	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Martes	Aglais
Species	Martes foina	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

beech marten

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	beech marten	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

beech marten

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries).

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.

beech marten

beech marten (Martes foina) 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 7 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇬🇷 Greece 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden