Fly Agaric vs Galapagos-Seebär

Amanita muscaria compared with Arctocephalus galapagoensis

Key Differences

Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Galapagos-Seebär is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Galapagos-Seebär
Kingdom	Fungi (Pilze)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Ständerpilze)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Agaricales (Champignonartige)	Carnivora (Raubtiere)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Otariidae
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Arctocephalus
Species	Amanita muscaria	Arctocephalus galapagoensis

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Galapagos-Seebär

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Galapagos-Seebär
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).

Galapagos-Seebär

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

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

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.