Malayan porcupine vs small tortoiseshell

Hystrix brachyura compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• Malayan porcupine is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Malayan porcupine	small tortoiseshell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Hystricidae	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)
Genus	Hystrix	Aglais
Species	Hystrix brachyura	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Malayan porcupine

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Malayan porcupine	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Malayan porcupine

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom.

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 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇫🇷 France 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇬🇧 United Kingdom