Cat flea vs Polynesian rat

Ctenocephalides felis compared with Rattus exulans

Key Differences

• Cat flea is Not Evaluated while Polynesian rat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cat flea	Polynesian rat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Siphonaptera (Siphonaptera)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Pulicidae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Ctenocephalides	Rattus
Species	Ctenocephalides felis	Rattus exulans

Evolutionary Relationship

Cat flea and Polynesian rat share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Cat flea

NE — Not Evaluated

Polynesian rat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cat flea	Polynesian rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cat flea

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (6 countries), and North America (United States).

Polynesian rat

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (6 countries), Europe (United Kingdom), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (11 countries), and South America (Chile).

Cat flea

The Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) is a species in the genus Ctenocephalides. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States