Common Spreadwing vs Eurasian water shrew

Lestes sponsa compared with Neomys fodiens

Key Differences

• Common Spreadwing is Least Concern while Eurasian water shrew is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Spreadwing	Eurasian water shrew
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Lestidae	Soricidae
Genus	Lestes	Neomys
Species	Lestes sponsa	Neomys fodiens

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Spreadwing and Eurasian water shrew share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Spreadwing

LC — Least Concern

Eurasian water shrew

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Spreadwing	Eurasian water shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Spreadwing

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Eurasian water shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

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

Common Spreadwing

Common Spreadwing (Lestes sponsa) 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.

Eurasian water shrew

Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden