American Wall Fern vs Cheetah

Polypodium virginianum compared with Acinonyx jubatus

Key Differences

American Wall Fern is Not Evaluated while Cheetah is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Wall Fern	Cheetah
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Polypodiaceae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Polypodium	Acinonyx (Cheetahs)
Species	Polypodium virginianum	Acinonyx jubatus

Conservation Status

American Wall Fern

NE — Not Evaluated

Cheetah

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Wall Fern	Cheetah
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	12 years
Average Length	—	1.5 m
Average Weight	—	50.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Wall Fern

Habitat

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

Range

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

Cheetah

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Botswana, Iran, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

American Wall Fern

The American Wall Fern (Polypodium virginianum) is a species in the genus Polypodium. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Cheetah

The fastest land animal on Earth, reaching speeds of 112 km/h over short distances across African and Iranian grasslands. Slender build with a deep chest, long legs, and distinctive black tear-stripe markings. Unlike other big cats, cheetahs vocalize with chirps and purrs. Vulnerable, with only ~7,000 remaining due to habitat fragmentation and competition with larger predators.