Brown Rat vs Small Adder's-Tongue

Rattus norvegicus compared with Ophioglossum azoricum

Key Differences

Brown Rat is Least Concern while Small Adder's-Tongue is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	Small Adder's-Tongue
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Rattus	Ophioglossum
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Ophioglossum azoricum

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Small Adder's-Tongue

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	Small Adder's-Tongue
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).

Small Adder's-Tongue

Habitat

Inhabits boreal forests and taiga within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.