Brown Rat vs

Rattus norvegicus compared with Cocconeis disculus

Key Differences

• Brown Rat is Least Concern while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat
Kingdom	Animalia (สัตว์)	Chromista (โครมิสตา)
Phylum	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Ochrophyta (Ochrophyta)
Class	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Bacillariophyceae (Bacillariophyceae)
Order	Rodentia (อันดับสัตว์ฟันแทะ)	Achnanthales (Achnanthales)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Cocconeidaceae
Genus	Rattus	Cocconeis
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Cocconeis disculus

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

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).

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Norway, and Sweden.

Brown Rat

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Cocconeis disculus is a freshwater and brackish-water diatom in the family Cocconeidaceae, belonging to the class Bacillariophyceae—the diatoms, a group of unicellular photosynthetic algae encased in ornate silica cell walls called frustules. Like all members of the genus Cocconeis, C. disculus is an adnate, epiphytic species, meaning it lives attached to substrates—typically the surfaces of aquatic macrophytes, filamentous algae, and sediment particles—rather than living freely in the water column. The frustule of Cocconeis species is distinctive in its bilateral symmetry and the characteristic difference between its two valves: the rapheless valve (RV) lacks the raphe slit present on the raphe valve (RV), a feature used in species identification. Cocconeis disculus has been documented from freshwater bodies across South America and various parts of the Northern Hemisphere, with distribution reflecting its tolerance of a range of water temperatures and nutrient conditions. Diatoms like C. disculus are foundational components of aquatic food webs, fixing carbon through photosynthesis and providing a nutritious food source for grazing invertebrates, protists, and larval fish. The species also contributes to the biosilica cycle through the production and dissolution of its silica frustule. As a benthic, substrate-attached organism, Cocconeis disculus serves as a sensitive bioindicator of water quality conditions in freshwater monitoring programs. Its conservation status is not formally evaluated.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇷 Brazil 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden