Blind Small-eared Shrew vs Coastal stingaree

Cryptotis niausa compared with Urolophus orarius

Key Differences

• Blind Small-eared Shrew is Data Deficient while Coastal stingaree is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blind Small-eared Shrew	Coastal stingaree
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)
Family	Soricidae	Urolophidae
Genus	Cryptotis	Urolophus
Species	Cryptotis niausa	Urolophus orarius

Evolutionary Relationship

Blind Small-eared Shrew and Coastal stingaree share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Blind Small-eared Shrew

DD — Data Deficient

Coastal stingaree

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blind Small-eared Shrew	Coastal stingaree
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blind Small-eared Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador.

Coastal stingaree

Blind Small-eared Shrew

The Blind Small-eared Shrew (Cryptotis niausa) is a species in the genus Cryptotis. It is currently classified as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Coastal stingaree

Coastal stingaree (Urolophus orarius) is a small batoid ray in the family Urolophidae, endemic to shallow coastal waters of southern Australia, particularly along the coasts of South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania. Like other stingarees, it has a rounded disc, a short tail armed with one or two venomous spines, and lacks a distinct rostrum. It inhabits sandy and muddy nearshore substrates in depths typically less than 30 metres, where it forages for polychaete worms, crustaceans, and small molluscs buried in the seabed. Females are ovoviviparous, giving birth to small litters of live young following internal development. Coastal stingaree is assessed as Endangered by the IUCN, driven by its restricted range, slow reproductive rate, and significant bycatch in inshore commercial and recreational fisheries operating across southern Australian coastal waters. Bottom trawling, prawn trawling, and gillnetting are identified as major threats. The species receives limited targeted conservation attention and is not currently the subject of specific fisheries management measures. Its small home range and coastal distribution make it especially vulnerable to localised fishery impacts.