Common Jelly Spot vs Komodo Dragon

Dacrymyces stillatus compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Common Jelly Spot is Least Concern while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Jelly Spot	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom	Fungi (Pilze)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Ständerpilze)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Dacrymycetes (Dacrymycetes)	Reptilia (Reptilien)
Order	Dacrymycetales (Dacrymycetales)	Squamata (Schuppenkriechtiere)
Family	Dacrymycetaceae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Dacrymyces	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Dacrymyces stillatus	Varanus komodoensis

Conservation Status

Common Jelly Spot

LC — Least Concern

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Jelly Spot	Komodo Dragon
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	2.6 m
Average Weight	—	70.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Jelly Spot

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States).

Komodo Dragon

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 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Indonesia. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Jelly Spot

<em>Dacrymyces stillatus</em>, commonly known as the common jelly spot, is a saprotrophic fungus in the family Dacrymycetaceae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, with records from five European countries and North America. The species typically grows on damp, dead, or decaying wood, particularly coniferous timber, forming small, gelatinous, orange-yellow cushions or pustules on the substrate surface. As a saprotrophic wood-decay fungus, it contributes to nutrient cycling and the decomposition of woody material in temperate forest ecosystems. The bright gelatinous fruiting bodies make it a conspicuous species when encountered on wet wood in cool, humid conditions. Diet information for this species is not available in current records. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.