Brown Rat vs house mouse

Rattus norvegicus compared with Mus musculus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	house mouse
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Rodentia (Rodents)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family same	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Rattus	Mus (House Mice)
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Mus musculus

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and house mouse share a common ancestor at the Family level: Muridae. (Mice & Rats)

View Family: Muridae

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

house mouse

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	house mouse
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	2 years
Average Length	—	9 cm
Average Weight	—	20 g

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).

house mouse

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (9 countries), Asia (13 countries), Europe (41 countries), North America (14 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (12 countries), and South America (10 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.

house mouse

Among the most widespread and numerous mammals on Earth, house mice originated in South Asia and have accompanied human civilization across every continent except Antarctica. Weighing just 15–25 g, they are highly adaptable omnivores capable of surviving on minimal food and water. As the world's most commonly used laboratory animal, the house mouse has contributed to virtually every branch of biomedical research. They cause significant agricultural damage globally.