Fly Agaric vs Gorille de l'Ouest

Amanita muscaria compared with Gorilla gorilla

Key Differences

• Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Gorille de l'Ouest is Critically Endangered.
• Fly Agaric is decomposer while Gorille de l'Ouest is herbivore.
• Gorille de l'Ouest is 1600.0x heavier than Fly Agaric.
• Gorille de l'Ouest lives longer (40 years vs 1 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Gorille de l'Ouest
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Primates (Primates)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Hominidae (Great Apes)
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Gorilla (Gorillas)
Species	Amanita muscaria	Gorilla gorilla

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Gorille de l'Ouest

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Gorille de l'Ouest
Diet	Decomposer	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	1 years	40 years
Average Length	20 cm	1.7 m
Average Weight	100 g	160.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fly Agaric

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

Gorille de l'Ouest

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Cameroon, Congo (Republic), Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.

Gorille de l'Ouest

The world's largest primate, western gorillas weigh up to 180 kg and inhabit the tropical and subtropical forests of equatorial Africa. Primarily herbivorous, living in family groups led by a silverback male who protects the troop and mediates social conflicts. Critically Endangered, with populations threatened by deforestation, poaching for bushmeat, and outbreaks of Ebola virus disease.