Etruscan Shrew vs small tortoiseshell

Suncus etruscus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Etruscan Shrew is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Etruscan Shrew	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Soricidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Suncus	Aglais
Species	Suncus etruscus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Etruscan Shrew

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Etruscan Shrew	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Etruscan Shrew

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus, Yemen) and Europe (6 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.

Etruscan Shrew

Etruscan Shrew (Suncus etruscus) 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:

🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇹 Italy 🇲🇹 Malta 🇷🇺 Russia 🇪🇸 Spain