Big Finner vs limestone fern

Balaenoptera physalus compared with Gymnocarpium robertianum

Key Differences

• Big Finner is Endangered while limestone fern is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big Finner	limestone fern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Cystopteridaceae
Genus	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)	Gymnocarpium
Species	Balaenoptera physalus	Gymnocarpium robertianum

Conservation Status

Big Finner

EN — Endangered

limestone fern

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big Finner	limestone fern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big Finner

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

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

limestone fern

Habitat

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

Range

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

Big Finner

Big Finner (Balaenoptera physalus) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden