Alpine Shrew vs Common Oak Fern

Sorex alpinus compared with Gymnocarpium dryopteris

Key Differences

• Alpine Shrew is Near Threatened while Common Oak Fern is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Shrew	Common Oak Fern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Soricomorpha (Soricomorpha)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Soricidae	Cystopteridaceae
Genus	Sorex	Gymnocarpium
Species	Sorex alpinus	Gymnocarpium dryopteris

Conservation Status

Alpine Shrew

NT — Near Threatened

Common Oak Fern

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Shrew	Common Oak Fern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Shrew

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Ukraine. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Common Oak Fern

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Alpine Shrew

The Alpine Shrew (Sorex alpinus) is a species in the genus Sorex. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Found in Ukraine. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Common Oak Fern

<em>Gymnocarpium dryopteris</em>, the common oak fern, is a delicate terrestrial fern in the family Cystopteridaceae (or Woodsiaceae, depending on classification). Despite its common name, the species is not specifically associated with oak trees; rather, it typically grows in cool, moist, shaded environments including boreal and mixed forests, rocky woodland slopes, stream banks, and shaded cliff faces. <em>Gymnocarpium dryopteris</em> spreads by rhizomes and forms low, spreading colonies with characteristic triangular, three-pinnate fronds that emerge from a slender creeping rootstock. Its geographic range spans Europe and North America, with populations in cool temperate and boreal zones. The species is currently assessed as Critically Endangered in certain regional assessments, suggesting that particular populations face severe decline, likely due to habitat loss, forest fragmentation, and altered hydrology, even if the species retains a broader global range. Biological traits such as lifespan, body size, and diet remain poorly documented at a standardized population level. <em>Gymnocarpium dryopteris</em> is a characteristic indicator of undisturbed cool woodland habitats and is valued for both its ecological role in forest understoreys and its aesthetic appeal.