Arctic Mushroom Scales Lichen vs Polar bear

Lichenomphalia hudsoniana compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

Arctic Mushroom Scales Lichen is Critically Endangered while Polar bear is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arctic Mushroom Scales Lichen	Polar bear
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Lichenomphalia	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Lichenomphalia hudsoniana	Ursus maritimus

Conservation Status

Arctic Mushroom Scales Lichen

CR — Critically Endangered

Polar bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arctic Mushroom Scales Lichen	Polar bear
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	25 years
Average Length	—	2.4 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arctic Mushroom Scales Lichen

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Polar bear

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

Arctic Mushroom Scales Lichen

The Arctic Mushroom Scales Lichen (Lichenomphalia hudsoniana) is a species in the genus Lichenomphalia. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Polar bear

The largest land carnivore on Earth, polar bears can exceed 700 kg and are found across Arctic sea ice from Canada to Russia. Highly specialized marine mammals that rely on sea ice to hunt ringed and bearded seals. Excellent swimmers capable of covering vast distances in open water. Listed as Vulnerable, with populations under severe pressure from rapid Arctic sea ice loss due to climate change.