limestone fern vs Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Gymnocarpium robertianum compared with Perognathus merriami

Key Differences

• limestone fern is Critically Endangered while Merriam’s Pocket Mouse is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	limestone fern	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Cystopteridaceae	Heteromyidae
Genus	Gymnocarpium	Perognathus
Species	Gymnocarpium robertianum	Perognathus merriami

Conservation Status

limestone fern

CR — Critically Endangered

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	limestone fern	Merriam’s Pocket Mouse
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Merriam’s Pocket Mouse

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.