Amazonian Marsh Rat vs house mouse

Holochilus sciureus compared with Mus musculus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Amazonian Marsh Rat	house mouse
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	Mus (House Mice)
Species	Holochilus sciureus	Mus musculus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Amazonian Marsh Rat

LC — Least Concern

house mouse

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Amazonian Marsh Rat	house mouse
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	2 years
Average Length	—	9 cm
Average Weight	—	20 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Amazonian Marsh Rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela.

house mouse

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (9 countries), Asia (13 countries), Europe (41 countries), North America (14 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (12 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.

house mouse

Among the most widespread and numerous mammals on Earth, house mice originated in South Asia and have accompanied human civilization across every continent except Antarctica. Weighing just 15–25 g, they are highly adaptable omnivores capable of surviving on minimal food and water. As the world's most commonly used laboratory animal, the house mouse has contributed to virtually every branch of biomedical research. They cause significant agricultural damage globally.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇻🇪 Venezuela