Brathay fern vs Lion

Dryopteris brathaica compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

Brathay fern is Extinct while Lion is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brathay fern	Lion
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Dryopteridaceae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Dryopteris	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Dryopteris brathaica	Panthera leo

Conservation Status

Brathay fern

EX — Extinct

Lion

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brathay fern	Lion
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	2.5 m
Average Weight	—	190.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brathay fern

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Canada.

Lion

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Brathay fern

The Brathay fern (Dryopteris brathaica) is a species in the genus Dryopteris. It is currently classified as Extinct on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Lion

The largest wild cat in Africa, lions reach up to 250 kg and are the only social felids, living in prides across sub-Saharan savannas and grasslands. Males are distinguished by their iconic manes. As apex predators, they regulate herbivore populations and maintain ecosystem balance. Listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.