Giant Polypore vs Pallas's squirrel, Red-bellied tree squirrel

Meripilus giganteus compared with Callosciurus erythraeus

Key Differences

• Giant Polypore is Near Threatened while Pallas's squirrel, Red-bellied tree squirrel is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Giant Polypore	Pallas's squirrel, Red-bellied tree squirrel
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Polyporales (Polyporales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Meripilaceae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Meripilus	Callosciurus
Species	Meripilus giganteus	Callosciurus erythraeus

Conservation Status

Giant Polypore

NT — Near Threatened

Pallas's squirrel, Red-bellied tree squirrel

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Giant Polypore	Pallas's squirrel, Red-bellied tree squirrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Giant Polypore

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Pallas's squirrel, Red-bellied tree squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China, Japan), Europe (8 countries), and South America (Argentina).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden