Elegant Water Shrew vs Reticulated Python

Nectogale elegans compared with Python reticulatus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Elegant Water Shrew	Reticulated Python
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Soricidae	Pythonidae (Pythons)
Genus	Nectogale	Python (Pythons)
Species	Nectogale elegans	Python reticulatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Elegant Water Shrew and Reticulated Python share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Elegant Water Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Reticulated Python

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Elegant Water Shrew	Reticulated Python
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	25 years
Average Length	—	6.0 m
Average Weight	—	75.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Elegant Water Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Reticulated Python

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, and Thailand.

Reticulated Python

The reticulated python is the world's longest snake and one of the heaviest. They kill prey by constriction.