Cramp Balls vs Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

Daldinia concentrica compared with Chiropodomys major

Key Differences

Cramp Balls is Vulnerable while Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cramp Balls	Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Xylariales (Xylariales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Hypoxylaceae	Muridae (Mice & Rats)
Genus	Daldinia	Chiropodomys
Species	Daldinia concentrica	Chiropodomys major

Conservation Status

Cramp Balls

VU — Vulnerable

Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cramp Balls	Greater Pencil-tailed Tree Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cramp Balls

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.