hedgehog vs Japanese Weasel

Erinaceus europaeus compared with Mustela itatsi

Key Differences

• hedgehog is Least Concern while Japanese Weasel is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	hedgehog	Japanese Weasel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Erinaceidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Erinaceus	Mustela
Species	Erinaceus europaeus	Mustela itatsi

Evolutionary Relationship

hedgehog and Japanese Weasel share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

Japanese Weasel

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	hedgehog	Japanese Weasel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China, Japan), Europe (8 countries), and Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand).

Japanese Weasel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Japan. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

hedgehog

hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) 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 1 countries:

🇯🇵 Japan