Golden Pholiota vs Lion d'Afrique

Pholiota aurivella compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• Golden Pholiota is Not Evaluated while Lion d'Afrique is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Golden Pholiota	Lion d'Afrique
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Carnivora (carnivores)
Family	Strophariaceae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Pholiota	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Pholiota aurivella	Panthera leo

Conservation Status

Golden Pholiota

NE — Not Evaluated

Lion d'Afrique

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Golden Pholiota	Lion d'Afrique
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	2.5 m
Average Weight	—	190.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Golden Pholiota

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway, Taiwan, and United States.

Lion d'Afrique

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 7 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Lion d'Afrique

The largest wild cat in Africa, lions reach up to 250 kg and are the only social felids, living in prides across sub-Saharan savannas and grasslands. Males are distinguished by their iconic manes. As apex predators, they regulate herbivore populations and maintain ecosystem balance. Listed as Vulnerable due to habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict.