vs gray wolf

Clitocybe foetens compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

is Data Deficient while gray wolf is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		gray wolf
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Tricholomataceae	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Clitocybe	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Clitocybe foetens	Canis lupus

Conservation Status

DD — Data Deficient

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		gray wolf
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	13 years
Average Length	—	1.6 m
Average Weight	—	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Clitocybe foetens is a notably malodorous agaric fungus in the family Tricholomataceae, with the species epithet foetens Latin for 'stinking' or 'fetid,' reflecting its distinctive unpleasant odor that sets it apart from many related species. It occurs across temperate European forests, particularly in deciduous and mixed woodlands, where it fruits among leaf litter and organic debris during autumn. The cap is convex to shallowly depressed, pale brownish to greyish-buff, with decurrent gills and a slender stipe bearing the characteristic Clitocybe morphology. The strong, disagreeable smell is likely produced by volatile compounds and serves as a chemical signal, though whether it deters or attracts invertebrates and other fauna varies by compound chemistry. Like other genus members, C. foetens is a saprotrophic decomposer contributing to litter breakdown in temperate forest ecosystems. The fetid odor also serves as a useful distinguishing character for mycologists working in this taxonomically complex genus of small, pale-capped agarics found throughout European woodland habitats.

gray wolf

The most widely distributed wild canid, gray wolves range from North America across Eurasia in diverse habitats including tundra, forests, and grasslands. Highly social animals living in family packs led by a dominant breeding pair. As keystone predators, wolves regulate prey populations and profoundly shape ecosystem structure, as demonstrated by their reintroduction in Yellowstone. Once heavily persecuted, populations are recovering in many regions.