Atlantic Stream Crayfish vs Brown Rat

Austropotamobius pallipes compared with Rattus norvegicus

Key Differences

• Atlantic Stream Crayfish is Endangered while Brown Rat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Atlantic Stream Crayfish	Brown Rat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Malacostraca (Crustaceans)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Decapoda (Decapoda)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Astacidae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Austropotamobius	Rattus
Species	Austropotamobius pallipes	Rattus norvegicus

Evolutionary Relationship

Atlantic Stream Crayfish and Brown Rat share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Atlantic Stream Crayfish

EN — Endangered

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Atlantic Stream Crayfish	Brown Rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Atlantic Stream Crayfish

Habitat

Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Ireland and United Kingdom. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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).

Atlantic Stream Crayfish

The Atlantic Stream Crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) is a species in the genus Austropotamobius. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and temperate coniferous forests within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇮🇪 Ireland 🇬🇧 United Kingdom