Lesser Golden-bellied Rice Rat vs Meerkat

Nephelomys nimbosus compared with Suricata suricatta

Key Differences

• Lesser Golden-bellied Rice Rat is Vulnerable while Meerkat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Lesser Golden-bellied Rice Rat	Meerkat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Cricetidae	Herpestidae
Genus	Nephelomys	Suricata
Species	Nephelomys nimbosus	Suricata suricatta

Evolutionary Relationship

Lesser Golden-bellied Rice Rat and Meerkat share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Lesser Golden-bellied Rice Rat

VU — Vulnerable

Meerkat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Lesser Golden-bellied Rice Rat	Meerkat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Lesser Golden-bellied Rice Rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Meerkat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium and Ecuador.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇪🇨 Ecuador