European hare vs large flying fox

Lepus europaeus compared with Pteropus vampyrus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European hare	large flying fox
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lagomorpha (Rabbits & Hares)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Leporidae (Rabbits & Hares)	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)
Genus	Lepus	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)
Species	Lepus europaeus	Pteropus vampyrus

Evolutionary Relationship

European hare and large flying fox share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

European hare

NT — Near Threatened

large flying fox

NT — Near Threatened

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European hare	large flying fox
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	30 cm
Average Weight	—	1.1 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

European hare

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 7 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (10 countries), North America (4 countries), and South America (8 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

large flying fox

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

European hare

European hare (Lepus europaeus) 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.

large flying fox

The world's largest bat species, large flying foxes have wingspans reaching 1.5 meters and inhabit tropical forests from Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia. Despite the alarming name, they feed exclusively on fruit and nectar, making them vital pollinators and seed dispersers for tropical forest trees. Roost in massive colonies of thousands. Listed as Vulnerable due to hunting for bushmeat and habitat destruction.