European hare vs small heath

Lepus europaeus compared with Coenonympha pamphilus

Key Differences

• European hare is Near Threatened while small heath is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European hare	small heath
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Lagomorpha (Rabbits & Hares)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Leporidae (Rabbits & Hares)	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Lepus	Coenonympha
Species	Lepus europaeus	Coenonympha pamphilus

Evolutionary Relationship

European hare and small heath share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

European hare

NT — Near Threatened

small heath

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European hare	small heath
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

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.

small heath

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (40 countries).

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.

small heath

small heath (Coenonympha pamphilus) 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 10 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden