common shrew vs Irrawaddy dolphin

Sorex araneus compared with Orcaella brevirostris

Key Differences

• common shrew is Least Concern while Irrawaddy dolphin is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	common shrew	Irrawaddy dolphin
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Soricidae	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)
Genus	Sorex	Orcaella
Species	Sorex araneus	Orcaella brevirostris

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

common shrew

LC — Least Concern

Irrawaddy dolphin

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	common shrew	Irrawaddy dolphin
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

common shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

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

Irrawaddy dolphin

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.