Golden-rumped elephant shrew vs Little Ground Squirrel

Rhynchocyon chrysopygus compared with Spermophilus pygmaeus

Key Differences

• Golden-rumped elephant shrew is Endangered while Little Ground Squirrel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Golden-rumped elephant shrew	Little Ground Squirrel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Macroscelidea (Macroscelidea)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Macroscelididae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Rhynchocyon	Spermophilus
Species	Rhynchocyon chrysopygus	Spermophilus pygmaeus

Evolutionary Relationship

Golden-rumped elephant shrew and Little Ground Squirrel share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Golden-rumped elephant shrew

EN — Endangered

Little Ground Squirrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Golden-rumped elephant shrew	Little Ground Squirrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Golden-rumped elephant shrew

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Kenya. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Little Ground Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Russia and Ukraine.