Elephant Hawk vs Lesser Noctule

Deilephila elpenor compared with Nyctalus leisleri

Key Differences

• Elephant Hawk is Least Concern while Lesser Noctule is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Elephant Hawk	Lesser Noctule
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Sphingidae	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Deilephila	Nyctalus
Species	Deilephila elpenor	Nyctalus leisleri

Evolutionary Relationship

Elephant Hawk and Lesser Noctule share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Elephant Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Lesser Noctule

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Elephant Hawk	Lesser Noctule
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Elephant Hawk

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and North America (Canada).

Lesser Noctule

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Ukraine. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden