Gray-bellied Rice Rat vs Merlin

Nephelomys moerex compared with Falco columbarius

Key Differences

• Gray-bellied Rice Rat is Extinct while Merlin is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gray-bellied Rice Rat	Merlin
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)
Family	Cricetidae	Falconidae
Genus	Nephelomys	Falco
Species	Nephelomys moerex	Falco columbarius

Evolutionary Relationship

Gray-bellied Rice Rat and Merlin share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Gray-bellied Rice Rat

EX — Extinct

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gray-bellied Rice Rat	Merlin
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gray-bellied Rice Rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Ecuador.

Merlin

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Merlin

Merlin (Falco columbarius) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇪🇨 Ecuador