Dwarf nettle vs Napo Spiny-rat

Urtica urens compared with Proechimys quadruplicatus

Key Differences

• Dwarf nettle is Vulnerable while Napo Spiny-rat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Dwarf nettle	Napo Spiny-rat
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rosales (Roses & Allies)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Urticaceae	Echimyidae
Genus	Urtica	Proechimys
Species	Urtica urens	Proechimys quadruplicatus

Conservation Status

Dwarf nettle

VU — Vulnerable

Napo Spiny-rat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Dwarf nettle	Napo Spiny-rat
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.

Napo Spiny-rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador