American Shield Fern vs Buckelwal

Dryopteris intermedia compared with Megaptera novaeangliae

Key Differences

American Shield Fern is Not Evaluated while Buckelwal is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	American Shield Fern	Buckelwal
Kingdom	Plantae (Pflanzen)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Echte Farne)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Polypodiales (Tüpfelfarnartige)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Dryopteridaceae	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)
Genus	Dryopteris	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)
Species	Dryopteris intermedia	Megaptera novaeangliae

Conservation Status

American Shield Fern

NE — Not Evaluated

Buckelwal

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	American Shield Fern	Buckelwal
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	15.0 m
Average Weight	—	30.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

American Shield Fern

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Canada, France, Norway, and United States.

Buckelwal

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

American Shield Fern

The American Shield Fern (Dryopteris intermedia) is a species in the genus Dryopteris. Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Buckelwal

Among the most acrobatic of the great whales, humpback whales are renowned for their complex, haunting songs sung by males during breeding season — some lasting hours and evolving over time. Reaching 16 meters and 30 tonnes, they undertake the longest migrations of any mammal. Found in all oceans, humpbacks feed on krill and small fish using cooperative bubble-net feeding. Populations have largely recovered from historic whaling.