small tortoiseshell vs Taita Shrew

Aglais urticae compared with Suncus aequatorius

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Taita Shrew is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Taita Shrew
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Soricidae
Genus	Aglais	Suncus
Species	Aglais urticae	Suncus aequatorius

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Taita Shrew

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Taita Shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Taita Shrew

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Kenya. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.