Fly Agaric vs Highveld Golden Mole

Amanita muscaria compared with Amblysomus septentrionalis

Key Differences

• Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Highveld Golden Mole is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Highveld Golden Mole
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Afrosoricida (Afrosoricida)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Chrysochloridae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Amblysomus
Species	Amanita muscaria	Amblysomus septentrionalis

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Highveld Golden Mole

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Highveld Golden Mole
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).

Highveld Golden Mole

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.