Common Apple Snail vs Oso Polar

Pomacea bridgesii compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

• Common Apple Snail is Least Concern while Oso Polar is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Apple Snail	Oso Polar
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (moluscos)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Gastropoda (gastrópodos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Architaenioglossa (Architaenioglossa)	Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family	Ampullariidae	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Pomacea	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Pomacea bridgesii	Ursus maritimus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Apple Snail and Oso Polar share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Apple Snail

LC — Least Concern

Oso Polar

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Apple Snail	Oso Polar
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	25 years
Average Length	—	2.4 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Apple Snail

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and mangrove forests and coastal wetlands within the Indomalayan biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Israel, Taiwan, Vietnam), Europe (Austria), North America (United States), and South America (Chile, Venezuela).

Oso Polar

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

Common Apple Snail

<em>Pomacea bridgesii</em>, commonly known as the Common Apple Snail or Spike-topped Apple Snail, is a freshwater gastropod mollusk in the family Ampullariidae. This species is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and has an extensive global distribution spanning Asia, Europe, North America, and South America, largely due to its popularity in the aquarium trade and subsequent introductions. In its native South American range, Common Apple Snails typically inhabit tropical and subtropical freshwater environments including rivers, lakes, marshes, and flooded forests such as mangroves. They are known for their distinctly globular shell and their ability to breathe both air and water using a combination of a gill and a primitive lung-like structure. This species typically lays distinctive pink egg clutches above the waterline on emergent vegetation or hard surfaces. It feeds primarily on aquatic vegetation, algae, and detritus. Its average lifespan is approximately 3 years under favorable conditions.

Oso Polar

El mayor carnivoro terrestre de la Tierra, el oso polar puede superar los 700 kg y se encuentra en el hielo marino del Artico, desde Canada hasta Rusia. Es un mamifero marino altamente especializado que depende del hielo marino para cazar focas anilladas y barbadas. Excelente nadador capaz de cubrir grandes distancias en agua abierta. Clasificado como Vulnerable, sus poblaciones soportan una presion severa por la rapida perdida de hielo marino artico debida al cambio climatico.