North African Hedgehog vs small tortoiseshell

Atelerix algirus compared with Aglais urticae

Key Differences

• North African Hedgehog is Least Concern while small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	North African 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	Atelerix	Aglais
Species	Atelerix algirus	Aglais urticae

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

North African Hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	North African Hedgehog	small tortoiseshell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

North African Hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across France, Malta, and Spain.

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:

🇫🇷 France 🇲🇹 Malta 🇪🇸 Spain