Brown Rat vs Chatham shag

Rattus norvegicus compared with Leucocarbo onslowi

Key Differences

• Brown Rat is Least Concern while Chatham shag is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	Chatham shag
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Suliformes (Suliformes)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Phalacrocoracidae
Genus	Rattus	Leucocarbo
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Leucocarbo onslowi

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and Chatham shag share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Chatham shag

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	Chatham shag
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic 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).

Chatham shag

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

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.

Chatham shag

The Chatham shag (Leucocarbo onslowi) is a species in the genus Leucocarbo. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.