Brown Rat vs Cleopatra

Rattus norvegicus compared with Gonepteryx cleopatra

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	Cleopatra
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Pieridae
Genus	Rattus	Gonepteryx
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Gonepteryx cleopatra

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Cleopatra

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	Cleopatra
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).

Cleopatra

Habitat

Inhabits Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm.

Range

Found across Asia (Cyprus) and Europe (15 countries).

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.

Cleopatra

The Cleopatra, Gonepteryx cleopatra, is a large, striking butterfly in the family Pieridae found across the Mediterranean basin, including southern Europe from Portugal and Spain east to Greece and Turkey, and extending into North Africa and the Middle East. The species is closely related to the common Brimstone butterfly but is larger and more vividly colored. Males display brilliant yellow-orange upperwings with a distinctive deep orange patch on the forewing, while females are pale greenish-white, resembling the Brimstone. The undersides of both sexes are pale green, providing excellent camouflage when resting on vegetation. The Cleopatra inhabits warm, rocky hillsides, maquis, garrigue, woodland edges, and citrus groves where its larval host plants, buckthorns (Rhamnus species), are present. Adults are strong fliers, frequently visiting flowers for nectar. Like the Brimstone, the Cleopatra overwinters as an adult, sheltering in dense evergreen vegetation during the coldest months and re-emerging on warm winter days. The species produces one generation per year. It is widespread and locally common across its Mediterranean range and is assessed as Least Concern by IUCN, though habitat loss from agricultural intensification and urbanization affects local populations.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 14 countries:

🇦🇱 Albania 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇧🇬 Bulgaria 🇭🇷 Croatia 🇨🇾 Cyprus 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇮🇹 Italy 🇲🇹 Malta 🇲🇰 North Macedonia 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇮 Slovenia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇨🇭 Switzerland