Brown Rat vs wild boar

Rattus norvegicus compared with Sus scrofa

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	wild boar
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Suidae (Pigs)
Genus	Rattus	Sus (Pigs)
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Sus scrofa

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

wild boar

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	wild boar
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	1.5 m
Average Weight	—	80.0 kg

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).

wild boar

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (5 countries), Asia (5 countries), Europe (12 countries), North America (14 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (14 countries), and South America (8 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.

wild boar

The ancestor of domestic pigs, wild boars are robust, omnivorous ungulates weighing up to 200 kg, found from Western Europe through Asia and North Africa in diverse habitats including forests, wetlands, and grasslands. Highly adaptable and prolific breeders, they have become invasive in many regions including North America and Australia. Their rooting behavior disturbs soil and vegetation, influencing forest structure and seed germination significantly.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 49 countries:

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇷 Argentina 🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇸 Bahamas 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇦 Canada 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇨🇺 Cuba 🇨🇾 Cyprus 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇩🇲 Dominica 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇫🇯 Fiji 🇫🇷 France 🇬🇷 Greece 🇬🇩 Grenada 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇮🇹 Italy 🇯🇲 Jamaica 🇯🇵 Japan 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 🇲🇺 Mauritius 🇲🇽 Mexico 🇫🇲 Micronesia 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇼 Palau 🇵🇪 Peru 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇷🇺 Russia 🇰🇳 Saint Kitts and Nevis 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia 🇼🇸 Samoa 🇸🇹 Sao Tome and Principe 🇸🇨 Seychelles 🇿🇦 South Africa 🇪🇸 Spain 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇴 Tonga 🇹🇻 Tuvalu 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States 🇺🇾 Uruguay 🇻🇺 Vanuatu 🇻🇪 Venezuela