Dark-Spored Puffball vs Flat-skulled Shrew

Lycoperdon atropurpureum compared with Sorex roboratus

Key Differences

• Dark-Spored Puffball is Endangered while Flat-skulled Shrew is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dark-Spored Puffball	Flat-skulled Shrew
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)
Family	Lycoperdaceae	Soricidae
Genus	Lycoperdon	Sorex
Species	Lycoperdon atropurpureum	Sorex roboratus

Conservation Status

Dark-Spored Puffball

EN — Endangered

Flat-skulled Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dark-Spored Puffball	Flat-skulled Shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dark-Spored Puffball

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

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

Flat-skulled Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.