small tortoiseshell vs Veiled Chameleon

Aglais urticae compared with Chamaeleo calyptratus

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while Veiled Chameleon is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	Veiled Chameleon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Chamaeleonidae (Chameleons)
Genus	Aglais	Chamaeleo (Chameleons)
Species	Aglais urticae	Chamaeleo calyptratus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

Veiled Chameleon

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	Veiled Chameleon
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	5 years
Average Length	—	50 cm
Average Weight	—	200 g

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.

Veiled Chameleon

Habitat

Typically found in a wide range of habitat types.

Range

Distributed across Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

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.

Veiled Chameleon

The veiled chameleon is a large chameleon species native to Yemen and Saudi Arabia. They are popular as exotic pets.