common Atlantic octopus vs small tortoiseshell

Octopus vulgaris compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• common Atlantic octopus is Not Evaluated while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	common Atlantic octopus	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Cephalopoda (Cephalopods)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Octopoda (Octopuses)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Octopodidae (Common Octopuses)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Octopus (Octopuses)	Aglais
Species	Octopus vulgaris	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

common Atlantic octopus

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	common Atlantic octopus	small tortoiseshell
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	2 years	—
Average Length	60 cm	—
Average Weight	5.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

common Atlantic octopus

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Distributed across Chile, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

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.

common Atlantic octopus

One of the most studied invertebrates in neuroscience and behavioral biology, common octopuses inhabit rocky reefs and seafloors in tropical and temperate coastal waters globally. Highly intelligent with distributed nervous systems — two-thirds of their 500 million neurons reside in their arms — they demonstrate tool use, problem-solving, and individual personalities. Masters of camouflage, they change skin color and texture in milliseconds. They have three hearts, blue copper-based blood, and extremely short lifespans of 1–2 years.

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 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden