Lesser Noctule vs Spotted Thistle

Nyctalus leisleri compared with Scolymus maculatus

Key Differences

• Lesser Noctule is Endangered while Spotted Thistle is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Lesser Noctule	Spotted Thistle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Chiroptera (Bats)	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)
Family	Vespertilionidae	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)
Genus	Nyctalus	Scolymus
Species	Nyctalus leisleri	Scolymus maculatus

Conservation Status

Lesser Noctule

EN — Endangered

Spotted Thistle

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Lesser Noctule	Spotted Thistle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Lesser Noctule

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Ukraine. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Spotted Thistle

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Libya), Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇸🇪 Sweden