Asian house shrew vs Pacific Spiny-rat

Suncus murinus compared with Proechimys decumanus

Key Differences

• Asian house shrew is Least Concern while Pacific Spiny-rat is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Asian house shrew	Pacific Spiny-rat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Soricidae	Echimyidae
Genus	Suncus	Proechimys
Species	Suncus murinus	Proechimys decumanus

Evolutionary Relationship

Asian house shrew and Pacific Spiny-rat share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Asian house shrew

LC — Least Concern

Pacific Spiny-rat

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Asian house shrew	Pacific Spiny-rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Asian house shrew

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, 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 (4 countries), Asia (8 countries), Europe (Russia), and Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands).

Pacific Spiny-rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Ecuador. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Asian house shrew

The Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus) is a species in the genus Suncus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found. Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (8 countries), Europe (Russia), and Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands).