Elegant Water Shrew vs Tiny Earthstar

Nectogale elegans compared with Geastrum minimum

Key Differences

• Elegant Water Shrew is Least Concern while Tiny Earthstar is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Elegant Water Shrew	Tiny Earthstar
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Geastrales (Geastrales)
Family	Soricidae	Geastraceae
Genus	Nectogale	Geastrum
Species	Nectogale elegans	Geastrum minimum

Conservation Status

Elegant Water Shrew

LC — Least Concern

Tiny Earthstar

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Elegant Water Shrew	Tiny Earthstar
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Elegant Water Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Tiny Earthstar

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.