chimpanzee vs common shrew

Pan troglodytes compared with Sorex araneus

Key Differences

  • chimpanzee is Endangered while common shrew is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank chimpanzee common shrew
Kingdom same Animalia (Animals) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same Chordata (Chordates) Chordata (Chordates)
Class same Mammalia (Mammals) Mammalia (Mammals)
Order Primates (Primates) Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family Hominidae (Great Apes) Soricidae
Genus Pan (Chimpanzees) Sorex
Species Pan troglodytes Sorex araneus

Evolutionary Relationship

chimpanzee and common shrew share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

chimpanzee

EN — Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

common shrew

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute chimpanzee common shrew
Diet Omnivore
Average Lifespan 45 years
Average Length 1.2 m
Average Weight 50.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

chimpanzee

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Cameroon, Congo (DRC), Guinea, Tanzania, and Uganda. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

common shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

chimpanzee

Humanity's closest living relative, sharing approximately 98.7% of DNA, chimpanzees inhabit tropical forests and savanna woodlands across central and West Africa. Highly intelligent, social primates that use and make tools, display cultural traditions, and communicate with rich vocalizations including the distinctive pant-hoot. Endangered, with populations declining due to deforestation, bushmeat hunting, and disease transmission from humans.

common shrew

<em>Sorex araneus</em>, the common shrew, is a small insectivorous mammal in the family Soricidae, order Eulipotyphla, widely distributed across Europe and portions of the United States and Russia. This species inhabits a broad range of terrestrial environments including woodland, grassland, scrubland, hedgerows, and suburban gardens, typically favoring areas with dense ground cover providing both shelter and hunting opportunities. <em>Sorex araneus</em> is among the smallest mammals, with an exceptionally high metabolic rate that necessitates nearly continuous feeding to survive — it must consume close to its own body weight in food each day. Its diet consists primarily of invertebrates including earthworms, beetles, spiders, and other small arthropods found in leaf litter and soil. The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with large and stable populations across its range. Biological traits for this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature in terms of precise standardized averages for lifespan, body length, and weight across populations, though it is known to be a short-lived species with typical wild lifespans of around one year, and is widely studied as a model organism in ecological and physiological research.

Nature FYI Family

Explore more of the natural world across our sister sites.

Part of the Nature FYI family — FYIPedia