arctic shrew vs Chunky False Brook Salamander

Sorex arcticus compared with Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	arctic shrew	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Amphibia (Amphibians)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Caudata (Caudata)
Family	Soricidae	Plethodontidae
Genus	Sorex	Aquiloeurycea
Species	Sorex arcticus	Aquiloeurycea cephalica

Evolutionary Relationship

arctic shrew and Chunky False Brook Salamander share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

arctic shrew

LC — Least Concern

Chunky False Brook Salamander

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	arctic shrew	Chunky False Brook Salamander
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

arctic shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Chunky False Brook Salamander

Habitat

Typically found in freshwater habitats, moist forests, and wetlands.

Range

Found in Mexico.

arctic shrew

The Arctic shrew (Sorex arcticus) is a species in the genus Sorex. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Chunky False Brook Salamander

The Chunky False Brook Salamander (Aquiloeurycea cephalica) is a Least Concern plethodontid salamander endemic to Mexico, found in cloud forest and humid montane habitats in the Sierra Madre Oriental and related mountain ranges. The genus Aquiloeurycea is a recently erected Mexican endemic genus segregated from the broader genus Pseudoeurycea, comprising several small, robustly built (hence 'chunky') salamanders associated with high-elevation forests. Like all plethodontids, A. cephalica is a lungless salamander that breathes entirely through its moist, vascularized skin and the lining of its mouth. It is a direct developer, skipping the aquatic larval stage entirely and laying eggs in terrestrial microhabitats such as rotting logs, leaf litter, and soil. A. cephalica inhabits cool, humid forests of pine-oak and cloud forest zones in northern Mexico, where it forages for small invertebrates in the leaf litter and soil. The IUCN assesses it as Least Concern due to its reasonably wide distribution within its montane range. Deforestation, cattle grazing, and the conversion of cloud forest to agriculture represent ongoing threats to populations throughout its range.