Bird flea vs Polynesian rat

Ceratophyllus zhovtyi compared with Rattus exulans

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bird flea	Polynesian rat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Siphonaptera (Siphonaptera)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Ceratophyllidae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Ceratophyllus	Rattus
Species	Ceratophyllus zhovtyi	Rattus exulans

Evolutionary Relationship

Bird flea and Polynesian rat share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Bird flea

LC — Least Concern

Polynesian rat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bird flea	Polynesian rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bird flea

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Polynesian rat

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (6 countries), Europe (United Kingdom), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (11 countries), and South America (Chile).

Bird flea

The Bird flea (Ceratophyllus zhovtyi) is a species in the genus Ceratophyllus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States