American Shield Fern vs Epaulard

Dryopteris intermedia compared with Orcinus orca

Key Differences

American Shield Fern is Not Evaluated while Epaulard is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Shield Fern	Epaulard
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Dryopteridaceae	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)
Genus	Dryopteris	Orcinus (Orcas)
Species	Dryopteris intermedia	Orcinus orca

Conservation Status

American Shield Fern

NE — Not Evaluated

Epaulard

DD — Data Deficient

Population: ~50.0K

Trend: Unknown ?

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Shield Fern	Epaulard
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	8.0 m
Average Weight	—	5.4 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Shield Fern

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Canada, France, Norway, and United States.

Epaulard

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 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

American Shield Fern

The American Shield Fern (Dryopteris intermedia) is a species in the genus Dryopteris. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Epaulard

The largest member of the dolphin family, orcas reach up to 9 meters and 6 tonnes and are found in every ocean from Arctic to Antarctic. Apex predators living in matrilineal pods with distinct dialects, hunting strategies, and cultural traditions that differ between populations. Some populations specialize in fish, others in marine mammals. No natural predators; orcas sit at the top of every marine food chain they inhabit.