hedgehog vs small tortoiseshell

Erinaceus europaeus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• hedgehog is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	hedgehog	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Erinaceidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Erinaceus	Aglais
Species	Erinaceus europaeus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	hedgehog	small tortoiseshell
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).

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.

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.

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 8 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden