Brown Rat vs gray wolf

Rattus norvegicus compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

• Brown Rat is Least Concern while gray wolf is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	gray wolf
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Rodentia (Roedores)	Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Rattus	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Canis lupus

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and gray wolf share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (mamíferos)

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	gray wolf
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	13 years
Average Length	—	1.6 m
Average Weight	—	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Rat

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (11 countries), Asia (15 countries), Europe (41 countries), North America (16 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (10 countries), and South America (10 countries).

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Brown Rat

O rato-pardo (Rattus norvegicus) está classificado como Pouco Preocupante (LC) na Lista Vermelha da IUCN. Amplamente distribuído e abundante em sua área de ocorrência, com populações estáveis e sem preocupações de conservação imediatas.

gray wolf

O lobo-cinzento (Canis lupus), o canídeo selvagem mais amplamente distribuído, ocorre da América do Norte à Eurásia em habitats diversos, incluindo tundra, florestas e pradarias. São animais altamente sociais que vivem em matilhas familiares lideradas por um casal reprodutor dominante. Como predadores-chave, os lobos regulam as populações de presas e moldam profundamente a estrutura do ecossistema, como demonstrou sua reintrodução em Yellowstone. Antes muito perseguidos, as populações estão se recuperando em muitas regiões.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 21 countries:

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇷 Argentina 🇧🇸 Bahamas 🇧🇪 Belgium 🇧🇴 Bolivia 🇨🇱 Chile 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇨🇺 Cuba 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇯🇲 Jamaica 🇯🇵 Japan 🇲🇭 Marshall Islands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇷🇺 Russia 🇱🇨 Saint Lucia 🇸🇨 Seychelles 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States 🇻🇺 Vanuatu