Cobweb House-leek vs Lobo gris

Sempervivum arachnoideum compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

Cobweb House-leek is Not Evaluated while Lobo gris is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cobweb House-leek	Lobo gris
Kingdom	Plantae (planta)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Saxifragales (Saxifragales)	Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family	Crassulaceae	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Sempervivum	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Sempervivum arachnoideum	Canis lupus

Conservation Status

Cobweb House-leek

NE — Not Evaluated

Lobo gris

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cobweb House-leek	Lobo gris
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	13 years
Average Length	—	1.6 m
Average Weight	—	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cobweb House-leek

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found across Asia (Taiwan) and Europe (7 countries).

Lobo gris

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cobweb House-leek

The cobweb house-leek (Sempervivum arachnoideum) is a distinctive succulent plant in the family Crassulaceae, immediately recognizable by the dense network of white, cobweb-like hairs connecting the tips of its rosette leaves—an adaptation that may protect the plant from intense ultraviolet radiation, desiccation, and grazing at high altitudes. Native to the mountain ranges of Europe, including the Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, and Pyrenees, this species colonizes exposed rocky outcrops, cliff faces, scree slopes, and thin soils from subalpine to alpine elevations, often growing in large mats. The rosettes are small, typically 1–3 centimeters in diameter, composed of densely packed, fleshy leaves colored green with reddish or purplish tips. Like all sempervivums, S. arachnoideum is monocarpic at the rosette level—individual rosettes flower once, producing a stalk bearing clusters of pink to magenta star-shaped flowers before dying, while the plant persists through the continuous production of offsets that form spreading clonal colonies. The specific epithet 'arachnoideum' derives from the Latin for spider, referencing the cobweb-like pubescence. This species has been widely cultivated in rock gardens and alpine gardens worldwide for its ornamental appeal and extreme hardiness. Several varieties and cultivars exist, showing variation in hair density and leaf coloration. Its conservation status has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN, though it remains common throughout its native range.

Lobo gris

El lobo gris (Canis lupus), el cánido silvestre más ampliamente distribuido, se extiende desde América del Norte a través de Eurasia en hábitats diversos que incluyen la tundra, bosques y praderas. Son animales altamente sociales que viven en manadas familiares lideradas por una pareja reproductora dominante. Como depredadores clave, los lobos regulan las poblaciones de presas y moldean profundamente la estructura del ecosistema, como demostró su reintroducción en Yellowstone. Antes muy perseguidos, las poblaciones se están recuperando en muchas regiones.