Northern Chinese Flying Squirrel vs Smooth Map Lichen

Aeretes melanopterus compared with Rhizocarpon hochstetteri

Key Differences

• Northern Chinese Flying Squirrel is Near Threatened while Smooth Map Lichen is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Northern Chinese Flying Squirrel	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	Sciuridae (Squirrels)	Rhizocarpaceae
Genus	Aeretes	Rhizocarpon
Species	Aeretes melanopterus	Rhizocarpon hochstetteri

Conservation Status

Northern Chinese Flying Squirrel

NT — Near Threatened

Smooth Map Lichen

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Northern Chinese Flying Squirrel	Smooth Map Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Northern Chinese Flying Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.