Bavarian Pine Vole vs Common Moonwort

Microtus bavaricus compared with Botrychium lunaria

Key Differences

• Bavarian Pine Vole is Critically Endangered while Common Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bavarian Pine Vole	Common Moonwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Cricetidae	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Microtus	Botrychium
Species	Microtus bavaricus	Botrychium lunaria

Conservation Status

Bavarian Pine Vole

CR — Critically Endangered

Common Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bavarian Pine Vole	Common Moonwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bavarian Pine Vole

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Common Moonwort

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and North America (United States). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Bavarian Pine Vole

The Bavarian Pine Vole (Microtus bavaricus) is a species in the genus Microtus. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Common Moonwort

Common Moonwort (<em>Botrychium lunaria</em>) is a small fern in the genus <em>Botrychium</em>, family Ophioglossaceae. It is distributed across Asia, Europe, and North America, with confirmed presence in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as Taiwan and the United States. The species is typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies. Common Moonwort is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it faces significant conservation challenges across its range. Its distinctive frond is divided into two parts: a sterile fan-shaped leaf portion with rounded lobes resembling a crescent moon, and a fertile spike bearing spore-bearing structures. As a fern ally rather than a flowering plant, it reproduces via spores rather than seeds. The species is associated with stable, undisturbed habitats including ancient grasslands, upland heaths, and rocky slopes. Its sensitivity to habitat disturbance and changes in land management are thought to contribute to population declines. Specific biological measurements such as lifespan and dimensions are not documented in available records.