Ciliate Crystalwort vs Jirafa

Riccia crozalsii compared with Giraffa camelopardalis

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Ciliate Crystalwort Jirafa
Kingdom Plantae (planta) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Marchantiophyta (liverwort) Chordata (cordados)
Class Marchantiopsida (Marchantiopsida) Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order Marchantiales (Marchantiales) Artiodactyla (artiodáctilos)
Family Ricciaceae Giraffidae (Giraffes)
Genus Riccia Giraffa (Giraffes)
Species Riccia crozalsii Giraffa camelopardalis

Conservation Status

Ciliate Crystalwort

VU — Vulnerable

Jirafa

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~117.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Ciliate Crystalwort Jirafa
Diet Herbivore
Average Lifespan 25 years
Average Length 5.5 m
Average Weight 1.2 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ciliate Crystalwort

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Jirafa

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

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

Ciliate Crystalwort

Ciliate crystalwort (Riccia crozalsii) is a thalloid liverwort in the family Ricciaceae, classified as Vulnerable in Europe. It grows as a flat, strap-like or rosette-forming thallus, typically in damp, disturbed or ephemeral habitats such as the margins of seasonal pools, rutted tracks, and temporarily flooded ground with sparse vegetation cover. The species is characterized by thallus margins fringed with fine cilia-like teeth, which give it its common name. Riccia crozalsii is found in Mediterranean and Atlantic regions of Europe, with records from Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and parts of the British Isles, though populations are generally sparse and localized. It tends to appear in winter and spring when suitable wet conditions prevail, and the thallus desiccates or disappears during dry summer months. The species is assessed as Vulnerable due to the loss and degradation of its specialized ephemeral wetland habitats, driven by drainage, agricultural intensification, and altered hydrological regimes across Europe. As with many liverworts dependent on wet, open habitats, Riccia crozalsii has experienced declines in regions where traditional low-intensity land management practices have been abandoned. Monitoring and protection of ephemeral pool and wetland margins are key conservation actions for this species.

Jirafa

La jirafa (Giraffa camelopardalis) es el animal terrestre más alto de la Tierra, puede alcanzar 5,5 metros de altura y pesar hasta 1.750 kg. Su elongado cuello, que contiene las mismas siete vértebras cervicales que todos los mamíferos, evolucionó para alimentarse de acacias en sabanas y bosques africanos. Animal social que vive en manadas sueltas, se comunica mediante infrasonidos y lenguaje corporal. Clasificada como Vulnerable debido a la pérdida de hábitat y la caza furtiva.

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