Bitter Waxcap vs Eurasian red squirrel

Hygrocybe mucronella compared with Sciurus vulgaris

Key Differences

• Bitter Waxcap is Near Threatened while Eurasian red squirrel is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bitter Waxcap	Eurasian red squirrel
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Hygrophoraceae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Hygrocybe	Sciurus (Tree Squirrels)
Species	Hygrocybe mucronella	Sciurus vulgaris

Conservation Status

Bitter Waxcap

NT — Near Threatened

Eurasian red squirrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bitter Waxcap	Eurasian red squirrel
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bitter Waxcap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Eurasian red squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Asia (Georgia) and Europe (5 countries).

Bitter Waxcap

The Bitter Waxcap (Hygrocybe mucronella) is a species in the genus Hygrocybe. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Eurasian red squirrel

Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden