Brown Rat vs Short-eared Possum

Rattus norvegicus compared with Trichosurus caninus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	Short-eared Possum
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Diprotodontia (Marsupials)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Phalangeridae
Genus	Rattus	Trichosurus
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Trichosurus caninus

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and Short-eared Possum share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Short-eared Possum

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	Short-eared Possum
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).

Short-eared Possum

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.