Adder'S Fern vs Komodo Dragon

Polypodium vulgare compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Adder'S Fern is Least Concern while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Adder'S Fern	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Polypodiaceae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Polypodium	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Polypodium vulgare	Varanus komodoensis

Conservation Status

Adder'S Fern

LC — Least Concern

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Adder'S Fern	Komodo Dragon
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	2.6 m
Average Weight	—	70.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Adder'S Fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and North America (United States).

Komodo Dragon

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

Range

Found in Indonesia. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Adder'S Fern

The Adder'S Fern (Polypodium vulgare) is a species in the genus Polypodium. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This species inhabits Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies, found across Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway.