European hare vs limestone fern

Lepus europaeus compared with Gymnocarpium robertianum

Key Differences

European hare is Near Threatened while limestone fern is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	European hare	limestone fern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Lagomorpha (Rabbits & Hares)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Leporidae (Rabbits & Hares)	Cystopteridaceae
Genus	Lepus	Gymnocarpium
Species	Lepus europaeus	Gymnocarpium robertianum

Conservation Status

European hare

NT — Near Threatened

limestone fern

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	European hare	limestone fern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

European hare

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 7 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (10 countries), North America (4 countries), and South America (8 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

limestone fern

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Canada, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

European hare

European hare (Lepus europaeus) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.