small tortoiseshell vs wild boar

Aglais urticae compared with Sus scrofa

Key Differences

• small tortoiseshell is Near Threatened while wild boar is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	small tortoiseshell	wild boar
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Nymphalidae (Brush-footed Butterflies)	Suidae (Pigs)
Genus	Aglais	Sus (Pigs)
Species	Aglais urticae	Sus scrofa

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

small tortoiseshell

NT — Near Threatened

wild boar

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	small tortoiseshell	wild boar
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	1.5 m
Average Weight	—	80.0 kg

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.

wild boar

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (5 countries), Asia (5 countries), Europe (12 countries), North America (14 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (14 countries), and South America (8 countries).

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.

wild boar

The ancestor of domestic pigs, wild boars are robust, omnivorous ungulates weighing up to 200 kg, found from Western Europe through Asia and North Africa in diverse habitats including forests, wetlands, and grasslands. Highly adaptable and prolific breeders, they have become invasive in many regions including North America and Australia. Their rooting behavior disturbs soil and vegetation, influencing forest structure and seed germination significantly.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 12 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇺 Russia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇬🇧 United Kingdom