Brown Rat vs Javan Mongoose

Rattus norvegicus compared with Herpestes javanicus

Key Differences

• Brown Rat is Least Concern while Javan Mongoose is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	Javan Mongoose
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Herpestidae
Genus	Rattus	Herpestes
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Herpestes javanicus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Javan Mongoose

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	Javan Mongoose
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).

Javan Mongoose

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Comoros, Mauritius), Asia (Japan), Europe (4 countries), North America (11 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Fiji, Micronesia), and South America (Colombia, Guyana).

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 20 countries:

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda 🇧🇸 Bahamas 🇧🇧 Barbados 🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇨🇺 Cuba 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 🇫🇯 Fiji 🇬🇾 Guyana 🇯🇲 Jamaica 🇯🇵 Japan 🇲🇺 Mauritius 🇫🇲 Micronesia 🇳🇴 Norway 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia 🇪🇸 Spain 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago 🇺🇸 United States