Common Script Lichen vs Eurasian water shrew

Graphis scripta compared with Neomys fodiens

Key Differences

• Common Script Lichen is Least Concern while Eurasian water shrew is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Script Lichen	Eurasian water shrew
Kingdom	Fungi (菌界)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Ascomycota (子嚢菌門)	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (チャシブゴケ菌綱)	Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order	Ostropales (Ostropales)	Soricomorpha (トガリネズミ目)
Family	Graphidaceae	Soricidae
Genus	Graphis	Neomys
Species	Graphis scripta	Neomys fodiens

Conservation Status

Common Script Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Eurasian water shrew

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Script Lichen	Eurasian water shrew
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Script Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

Eurasian water shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Script Lichen

<em>Graphis scripta</em>, the common script lichen, is a crustose lichen in the family Graphidaceae, order Graphidales, with a cosmopolitan distribution spanning Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. This species grows as a flat, tightly attached crust on the smooth bark of deciduous trees in humid, shaded woodland habitats, where it is often among the most frequently encountered bark lichens. The distinctive feature of <em>Graphis scripta</em> is its elongated, script-like apothecia — black, slit-like fruiting bodies that resemble ancient writing and give the species its common name. As a lichen, it represents a stable mutualistic association between a fungal partner (mycobiont) and photosynthetic algal or cyanobacterial partners (photobionts). The species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, reflecting its wide distribution and tolerance across a range of forested habitats. It is considered sensitive to air pollution, particularly sulfur dioxide, making it a useful bioindicator of air quality. Biological traits for this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature, including data on growth rates, lifespan, and detailed ecological interactions beyond its known substrate preferences.

Eurasian water shrew

カワジネズミ（Neomys fodiens）はIUCNレッドリストで絶滅危惧（EN）に分類されています。野生での絶滅リスクが高く、個体数が著しく減少しており、生存に対する継続的な脅威があります。

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden