Cramp Balls vs Long-tailed Ground Squirrel

Daldinia concentrica compared with Urocitellus undulatus

Key Differences

Cramp Balls is Vulnerable while Long-tailed Ground Squirrel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cramp Balls	Long-tailed Ground Squirrel
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Sordariomycetes (Sordariomycetes)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Xylariales (Xylariales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Hypoxylaceae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Daldinia	Urocitellus
Species	Daldinia concentrica	Urocitellus undulatus

Conservation Status

Cramp Balls

VU — Vulnerable

Long-tailed Ground Squirrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cramp Balls	Long-tailed Ground Squirrel
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.