Eurasian red squirrel vs mountain hare

Sciurus vulgaris compared with Lepus timidus

Key Differences

• Eurasian red squirrel is Least Concern while mountain hare is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian red squirrel	mountain hare
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lagomorpha (Rabbits & Hares)
Family	Sciuridae (Squirrels)	Leporidae (Rabbits & Hares)
Genus	Sciurus (Tree Squirrels)	Lepus
Species	Sciurus vulgaris	Lepus timidus

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian red squirrel and mountain hare share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Eurasian red squirrel

LC — Least Concern

mountain hare

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian red squirrel	mountain hare
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eurasian red squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Asia (Georgia) and Europe (5 countries).

mountain hare

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Eurasian red squirrel

Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden