Dwarf nettle vs Gambian Sun Squirrel

Urtica urens compared with Heliosciurus gambianus

Key Differences

Dwarf nettle is Vulnerable while Gambian Sun Squirrel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dwarf nettle	Gambian Sun Squirrel
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rosales (Roses & Allies)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Urticaceae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Urtica	Heliosciurus
Species	Urtica urens	Heliosciurus gambianus

Conservation Status

Dwarf nettle

VU — Vulnerable

Gambian Sun Squirrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dwarf nettle	Gambian Sun Squirrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Dwarf nettle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 12 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa), Asia (Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar), Europe (19 countries), North America (Canada, Cuba, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (7 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.