Fly Agaric vs Gilliard's Flying Fox

Amanita muscaria compared with Pteropus gilliardorum

Key Differences

• Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Gilliard's Flying Fox is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Gilliard's Flying Fox
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)
Species	Amanita muscaria	Pteropus gilliardorum

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Gilliard's Flying Fox

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Gilliard's Flying Fox
Diet	Decomposer	—
Average Lifespan	1 years	—
Average Length	20 cm	—
Average Weight	100 g	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fly Agaric

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

Gilliard's Flying Fox

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.