dooryard sowbug vs European hamster

Porcellio laevis compared with Cricetus cricetus

Key Differences

• dooryard sowbug is Least Concern while European hamster is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	dooryard sowbug	European hamster
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Malacostraca (Crustaceans)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Isopoda (Isopoda)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Porcellionidae	Cricetidae
Genus	Porcellio	Cricetus
Species	Porcellio laevis	Cricetus cricetus

Evolutionary Relationship

dooryard sowbug and European hamster share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

dooryard sowbug

LC — Least Concern

European hamster

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	dooryard sowbug	European hamster
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

dooryard sowbug

Habitat

Typically found in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (Japan), Europe (12 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

European hamster

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 8 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark