Common Moonwort vs Oso Polar

Botrychium lunaria compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

Common Moonwort is Endangered while Oso Polar is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Moonwort	Oso Polar
Kingdom	Plantae (planta)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossaceae)	Carnivora (carnívoros)
Family	Ophioglossaceae	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Botrychium	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Botrychium lunaria	Ursus maritimus

Conservation Status

Common Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Oso Polar

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Moonwort

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and North America (United States). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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 Moonwort

Common Moonwort (<em>Botrychium lunaria</em>) is a small fern in the genus <em>Botrychium</em>, family Ophioglossaceae. It is distributed across Asia, Europe, and North America, with confirmed presence in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as Taiwan and the United States. The species is typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies. Common Moonwort is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it faces significant conservation challenges across its range. Its distinctive frond is divided into two parts: a sterile fan-shaped leaf portion with rounded lobes resembling a crescent moon, and a fertile spike bearing spore-bearing structures. As a fern ally rather than a flowering plant, it reproduces via spores rather than seeds. The species is associated with stable, undisturbed habitats including ancient grasslands, upland heaths, and rocky slopes. Its sensitivity to habitat disturbance and changes in land management are thought to contribute to population declines. Specific biological measurements such as lifespan and dimensions are not documented in available records.

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.