Eurasian water shrew vs Western Thyme Plume

Neomys fodiens compared with Merrifieldia tridactyla

Key Differences

• Eurasian water shrew is Endangered while Western Thyme Plume is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eurasian water shrew	Western Thyme Plume
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Insecta (Insects)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)
Family	Soricidae	Pterophoridae
Genus	Neomys	Merrifieldia
Species	Neomys fodiens	Merrifieldia tridactyla

Evolutionary Relationship

Eurasian water shrew and Western Thyme Plume share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Eurasian water shrew

EN — Endangered

Western Thyme Plume

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Eurasian water shrew	Western Thyme Plume
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eurasian water shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Western Thyme Plume

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate coniferous forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Asia (5 countries) and Europe (28 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Eurasian water shrew

Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇷🇺 Russia 🇸🇪 Sweden