Chita vs Clinton'S Wood Fern

Acinonyx jubatus compared with Dryopteris clintoniana

Key Differences

  • Chita is Vulnerable while Clinton'S Wood Fern is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Chita Clinton'S Wood Fern
Kingdom Animalia (Animals) Plantae (planta)
Phylum Chordata (cordados) Tracheophyta
Class Mammalia (mamíferos) Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order Carnivora (carnívoros) Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family Felidae (Cats) Dryopteridaceae
Genus Acinonyx (Cheetahs) Dryopteris
Species Acinonyx jubatus Dryopteris clintoniana

Conservation Status

Chita

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~6.7K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Clinton'S Wood Fern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Chita Clinton'S Wood Fern
Diet Carnivore
Average Lifespan 12 years
Average Length 1.5 m
Average Weight 50.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chita

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 9 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Botswana, Iran, Kenya, Namibia, and Tanzania. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Clinton'S Wood Fern

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Canada and United States.

Chita

El guepardo es el animal terrestre más rápido de la Tierra, alcanzando velocidades de 112 km/h en distancias cortas en las praderas de África e Irán. Complexión esbelta con un pecho profundo, patas largas y distintivas marcas negras en forma de lágrima. A diferencia de otros grandes felinos, los guepardos vocalizan con chirridos y ronroneos. Vulnerable, con solo ~7.000 individuos restantes debido a la fragmentación del hábitat y la competencia con depredadores más grandes.

Clinton'S Wood Fern

Clinton's Wood Fern, Dryopteris clintoniana, is a large, robust fern in the family Dryopteridaceae native to eastern North America, ranging from Nova Scotia and New England south through the Appalachian Mountains and the Great Lakes region. It inhabits rich, moist, shaded forests including floodplain woodland, mesic slopes, and forested wetland margins, growing in soils with abundant leaf litter and high organic matter content. Clinton's Wood Fern is a tetraploid hybrid fern, arising from crosses between Dryopteris cristata (Crested Wood Fern) and Dryopteris goldiana (Goldie's Fern), and inherits intermediate characteristics from both parents. The fronds are large, once-pinnate to pinnate-pinnatifid, with broad, dark green pinnae that have rounded, finely toothed lobes. Like many hybrid ferns, it is fertile and reproduces apogamously. The species is named for DeWitt Clinton, as is Clinton's Bulrush, reflecting his early contributions to American natural history. Clinton's Wood Fern is considered relatively rare within its range, partly because it requires the specific combination of parental species in suitable habitat. Threats include forest clearance, invasive species, and changes in forest hydrology. It is listed as a species of conservation concern in several northeastern states.

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