Bamboo bear vs basket fern

Ailuropoda melanoleuca compared with Nephrolepis pectinata

Key Differences

• Bamboo bear is Vulnerable while basket fern is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bamboo bear	basket fern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Nephrolepidaceae
Genus	Ailuropoda (Giant Pandas)	Nephrolepis
Species	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Nephrolepis pectinata

Conservation Status

Bamboo bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~1.9K

Trend: Increasing ↑

basket fern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bamboo bear	basket fern
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	20 years	—
Average Length	1.5 m	—
Average Weight	100.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bamboo bear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

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

basket fern

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba.

Bamboo bear

Iconic black-and-white bear of the mountain bamboo forests of central China, giant pandas can weigh up to 125 kg and spend up to 14 hours daily consuming bamboo, which comprises 99% of their diet despite belonging to the order Carnivora. Solitary and elusive, they have a pseudo-thumb for gripping bamboo stems. Downgraded from Endangered to Vulnerable in 2016 following successful conservation and breeding programs.

basket fern

The Basket fern (Nephrolepis pectinata) is a species in the genus Nephrolepis. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies. Its range includes Brazil, Colombia, and Cuba. Its conservation status has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN.