Cameroonian Shrew vs Coelacanth

Crocidura picea compared with Latimeria chalumnae

Key Differences

• Cameroonian Shrew is Endangered while Coelacanth is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cameroonian Shrew	Coelacanth
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Coelacanthi (Coelacanthi)
Order	Soricomorpha (อันดับตุ่น)	Coelacanthiformes (ปลาซีลาแคนท์)
Family	Soricidae	Latimeriidae
Genus	Crocidura	Latimeria
Species	Crocidura picea	Latimeria chalumnae

Evolutionary Relationship

Cameroonian Shrew and Coelacanth share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)

Conservation Status

Cameroonian Shrew

EN — Endangered

Coelacanth

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~500

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cameroonian Shrew	Coelacanth
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	100 years
Average Length	—	1.8 m
Average Weight	—	80.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cameroonian Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Coelacanth

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 8 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Comoros, Indonesia, Mozambique, and South Africa. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cameroonian Shrew

The Cameroonian Shrew (Crocidura picea) is a species in the genus Crocidura. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Coelacanth

A living fossil thought extinct for 65 million years until rediscovered off South Africa in 1938, coelacanths can reach 2 meters and 90 kg. They belong to an ancient lobe-finned lineage more closely related to tetrapods than to ray-finned fish, making them scientifically invaluable for understanding vertebrate evolution. Found in deep rocky reef habitats of the Indian Ocean, they are nocturnal and undergo internal fertilization, giving birth to fully formed live young. Critically Endangered.