Brown Rat vs New Guinean Quoll

Rattus norvegicus compared with Dasyurus albopunctatus

Key Differences

• Brown Rat is Least Concern while New Guinean Quoll is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	New Guinean Quoll
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Dasyuromorphia (Dasyuromorphia)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Dasyuridae
Genus	Rattus	Dasyurus
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Dasyurus albopunctatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and New Guinean Quoll share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

New Guinean Quoll

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	New Guinean Quoll
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).

New Guinean Quoll

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.