Cow Parsnip vs Polar bear

Heracleum sphondylium compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

• Cow Parsnip is Least Concern while Polar bear is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cow Parsnip	Polar bear
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Apiales (Apiales)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Apiaceae	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Heracleum	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Heracleum sphondylium	Ursus maritimus

Conservation Status

Cow Parsnip

LC — Least Concern

Polar bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cow Parsnip

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Europe (8 countries) and North America (Canada, United States).

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.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway