Grass pea vs Pacific Spiny-rat

Lathyrus sphaericus compared with Proechimys decumanus

Key Differences

• Grass pea is Endangered while Pacific Spiny-rat is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Grass pea	Pacific Spiny-rat
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Fabales (Legumes & Allies)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Fabaceae	Echimyidae
Genus	Lathyrus	Proechimys
Species	Lathyrus sphaericus	Proechimys decumanus

Conservation Status

Grass pea

EN — Endangered

Pacific Spiny-rat

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Grass pea	Pacific Spiny-rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Grass pea

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (10 countries), North America (Canada, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Australia). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Pacific Spiny-rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Ecuador. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.