Elegant Water Shrew vs Smooth Map Lichen

Nectogale elegans compared with Rhizocarpon hochstetteri

Key Differences

• Elegant Water Shrew is Least Concern while Smooth Map Lichen is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Elegant Water Shrew	Smooth Map Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Rhizocarpales (Rhizocarpales)
Family	Soricidae	Rhizocarpaceae
Genus	Nectogale	Rhizocarpon
Species	Nectogale elegans	Rhizocarpon hochstetteri

Conservation Status

Elegant Water Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Smooth Map Lichen

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Elegant Water Shrew	Smooth Map Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Elegant Water Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Smooth Map Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

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