Northern Birch Mouse vs Smooth Map Lichen

Sicista betulina compared with Rhizocarpon hochstetteri

Key Differences

• Northern Birch Mouse is Least Concern while Smooth Map Lichen is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Northern Birch Mouse	Smooth Map Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Rhizocarpales (Rhizocarpales)
Family	Dipodidae	Rhizocarpaceae
Genus	Sicista	Rhizocarpon
Species	Sicista betulina	Rhizocarpon hochstetteri

Conservation Status

Northern Birch Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Smooth Map Lichen

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Northern Birch Mouse	Smooth Map Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Northern Birch Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Ukraine.

Smooth Map Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden