European Mole vs small tortoiseshell

Talpa europaea compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• European Mole is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European Mole	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	Talpidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Talpa	Aglais
Species	Talpa europaea	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

European Mole

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European Mole	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

European Mole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden.

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.

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 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇸🇪 Sweden