Gemeine Winterlibelle vs Afrikanischer Löwe

Sympecma fusca compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• Gemeine Winterlibelle is Least Concern while Afrikanischer Löwe is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gemeine Winterlibelle	Afrikanischer Löwe
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Insecta (Insekten)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Odonata (Libellen)	Carnivora (Raubtiere)
Family	Lestidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Sympecma	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Sympecma fusca	Panthera leo

Evolutionary Relationship

Gemeine Winterlibelle and Afrikanischer Löwe share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Gemeine Winterlibelle

LC — Least Concern

Afrikanischer Löwe

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gemeine Winterlibelle	Afrikanischer Löwe
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	2.5 m
Average Weight	—	190.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gemeine Winterlibelle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden.

Afrikanischer Löwe

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Gemeine Winterlibelle

<em>Sympecma fusca</em>, commonly known as the common winter damsel or common spreadwing, is a damselfly in the family Lestidae, classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. It is distributed across temperate Europe, with confirmed records from Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, and Sweden, and is one of the very few odonates in Europe that overwinters as an adult. This remarkable strategy distinguishes <em>Sympecma fusca</em> from most other damselflies, which overwinter in aquatic larval stages. Adults emerge in late summer, enter a reproductive diapause, and survive through autumn and winter by seeking sheltered terrestrial refugia such as dense vegetation, bark, or leaf litter. Mating and oviposition occur the following spring, typically from March onward. The species inhabits a range of standing and slow-moving freshwater habitats including ponds, marshes, ditches, and the margins of reed-fringed lakes, where larvae develop in aquatic vegetation. Like all lestid damselflies, adults hold their wings partly open at rest rather than folded over the abdomen as in most other damselflies. Biological traits including average adult lifespan, body length, and mass remain poorly documented in standardized databases, though the adult lifespan spanning overwintering can extend to several months. Ecologically, the common winter damsel contributes to freshwater invertebrate food webs as both a predatory adult and as aquatic larval prey for fish and other predators across its European range.

Afrikanischer Löwe

The largest wild cat in Africa, lions reach up to 250 kg and are the only social felids, living in prides across sub-Saharan savannas and grasslands. Males are distinguished by their iconic manes. As apex predators, they regulate herbivore populations and maintain ecosystem balance. Listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.