Amazonian Marsh Rat vs Brown Rat

Holochilus sciureus compared with Rattus norvegicus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Amazonian Marsh Rat	Brown Rat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Rodentia (Rodents)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Cricetidae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Holochilus	Rattus
Species	Holochilus sciureus	Rattus norvegicus

Evolutionary Relationship

Amazonian Marsh Rat and Brown Rat share a common ancestor at the Order level: Rodentia. (Rodents)

View Order: Rodentia

Conservation Status

Amazonian Marsh Rat

LC — Least Concern

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Amazonian Marsh Rat	Brown Rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Amazonian Marsh Rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela.

Brown Rat

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (11 countries), Asia (15 countries), Europe (41 countries), North America (16 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (10 countries), and South America (10 countries).

Amazonian Marsh Rat

The Amazonian Marsh Rat (Holochilus sciureus) is a species in the genus Holochilus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Brown Rat

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.