Ballena azul vs Common Oak Fern

Balaenoptera musculus compared with Gymnocarpium dryopteris

Key Differences

• Ballena azul is Vulnerable while Common Oak Fern is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ballena azul	Common Oak Fern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (planta)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Cystopteridaceae
Genus	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)	Gymnocarpium
Species	Balaenoptera musculus	Gymnocarpium dryopteris

Conservation Status

Ballena azul

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~15.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Common Oak Fern

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ballena azul	Common Oak Fern
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	90 years	—
Average Length	30.0 m	—
Average Weight	150.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ballena azul

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 (4 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Oak Fern

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Ballena azul

El animal más grande que se conoce haya vivido en la Tierra; las ballenas azules pueden alcanzar 33 metros y 200 toneladas — sus corazones solos pesan tanto como un automóvil pequeño. Se encuentran en todos los océanos y migran entre las zonas de alimentación polares y las áreas de reproducción tropicales. Son filtradoras que consumen hasta 4 toneladas de kril al día. En peligro de extinción, con poblaciones globales estimadas entre 10.000 y 25.000 tras casi extinguirse por la caza de ballenas en el siglo XX.

Common Oak Fern

<em>Gymnocarpium dryopteris</em>, the common oak fern, is a delicate terrestrial fern in the family Cystopteridaceae (or Woodsiaceae, depending on classification). Despite its common name, the species is not specifically associated with oak trees; rather, it typically grows in cool, moist, shaded environments including boreal and mixed forests, rocky woodland slopes, stream banks, and shaded cliff faces. <em>Gymnocarpium dryopteris</em> spreads by rhizomes and forms low, spreading colonies with characteristic triangular, three-pinnate fronds that emerge from a slender creeping rootstock. Its geographic range spans Europe and North America, with populations in cool temperate and boreal zones. The species is currently assessed as Critically Endangered in certain regional assessments, suggesting that particular populations face severe decline, likely due to habitat loss, forest fragmentation, and altered hydrology, even if the species retains a broader global range. Biological traits such as lifespan, body size, and diet remain poorly documented at a standardized population level. <em>Gymnocarpium dryopteris</em> is a characteristic indicator of undisturbed cool woodland habitats and is valued for both its ecological role in forest understoreys and its aesthetic appeal.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden