Grey Puffball vs Pacific Spiny-rat

Bovista plumbea compared with Proechimys decumanus

Key Differences

• Grey Puffball is Least Concern while Pacific Spiny-rat is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Grey Puffball	Pacific Spiny-rat
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Lycoperdaceae	Echimyidae
Genus	Bovista	Proechimys
Species	Bovista plumbea	Proechimys decumanus

Conservation Status

Grey Puffball

LC — Least Concern

Pacific Spiny-rat

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Grey Puffball	Pacific Spiny-rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Grey Puffball

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil).

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.