Brown Rat vs Chinese Shrew

Rattus norvegicus compared with Sorex sinalis

Key Differences

• Brown Rat is Least Concern while Chinese Shrew is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	Chinese Shrew
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Soricidae
Genus	Rattus	Sorex
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Sorex sinalis

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and Chinese Shrew share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Chinese Shrew

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	Chinese Shrew
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).

Chinese Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.

Chinese Shrew

The Chinese Shrew (Sorex sinalis) is a species in the genus Sorex. It is currently classified as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List.