Chinese yam vs Polar bear

Dioscorea esculenta compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

• Chinese yam is Not Evaluated while Polar bear is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chinese yam	Polar bear
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Dioscoreaceae	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Dioscorea	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Dioscorea esculenta	Ursus maritimus

Conservation Status

Chinese yam

NE — Not Evaluated

Polar bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chinese yam	Polar bear
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	25 years
Average Length	—	2.4 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chinese yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Distributed across Burkina Faso, Colombia, and Seychelles.

Polar bear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

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

Chinese yam

The Chinese Yam (Dioscorea esculenta) is a species in the genus Dioscorea. Distributed across Burkina Faso, Colombia, and Seychelles.

Polar bear

The largest land carnivore on Earth, polar bears can exceed 700 kg and are found across Arctic sea ice from Canada to Russia. Highly specialized marine mammals that rely on sea ice to hunt ringed and bearded seals. Excellent swimmers capable of covering vast distances in open water. Listed as Vulnerable, with populations under severe pressure from rapid Arctic sea ice loss due to climate change.