Chocolate Rim Lichen vs grand dauphin, souffleur, dauphin à gros nez

Protoparmelia badia compared with Tursiops truncatus

Key Differences

Chocolate Rim Lichen is Near Threatened while grand dauphin, souffleur, dauphin à gros nez is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chocolate Rim Lichen	grand dauphin, souffleur, dauphin à gros nez
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Parmeliaceae	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)
Genus	Protoparmelia	Tursiops (Bottlenose Dolphins)
Species	Protoparmelia badia	Tursiops truncatus

Conservation Status

Chocolate Rim Lichen

NT — Near Threatened

grand dauphin, souffleur, dauphin à gros nez

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~600.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chocolate Rim Lichen	grand dauphin, souffleur, dauphin à gros nez
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	45 years
Average Length	—	3.0 m
Average Weight	—	300.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chocolate Rim Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

grand dauphin, souffleur, dauphin à gros nez

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 12 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Chocolate Rim Lichen

The Chocolate Rim Lichen (Protoparmelia badia) is a crustose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, found on exposed siliceous and acid rocks in montane and subalpine environments across Europe, North America, and other temperate and boreal regions. Crustose lichens form a tightly adhering crust directly on rock surfaces and lack the lobed margins of foliose lichens, making them impossible to remove from substrate without destroying the thallus. Protoparmelia badia forms a thin, pale grey to brownish-grey thallus with conspicuous reddish-brown to dark chocolate-brown apothecia (disc-shaped reproductive structures), from which the common name derives. The species is typical of well-lit, clean-air rocky habitats such as mountain summits, upland heathland, and acidic outcrops. Like many lichens, it is a pioneer coloniser of bare rock surfaces and contributes to the initial stages of soil formation. The IUCN classifies P. badia as Near Threatened, reflecting concerns about declining populations linked to air pollution — lichens are renowned biological indicators of air quality, being highly sensitive to sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and ammonia — as well as climate change effects on montane habitats and disturbance from rock climbing and other outdoor recreation.

grand dauphin, souffleur, dauphin à gros nez

The most studied and recognized dolphin species, bottlenose dolphins inhabit warm and temperate oceans worldwide, from coastal shallows to the open sea. Highly intelligent with large brains relative to body size, they demonstrate self-recognition, complex communication, and social learning. They live in fluid fission-fusion societies and cooperate to herd fish. A keystone indicator species for marine ecosystem health.