Gorille de l'Ouest vs Sword Fern

Gorilla gorilla compared with Nephrolepis exaltata

Key Differences

Gorille de l'Ouest is Critically Endangered while Sword Fern is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gorille de l'Ouest	Sword Fern
Kingdom	Animalia (animal)	Plantae (plante)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (mammifères)	Polypodiopsida (Filicopsida)
Order	Primates (Primates)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Hominidae (Great Apes)	Nephrolepidaceae
Genus	Gorilla (Gorillas)	Nephrolepis
Species	Gorilla gorilla	Nephrolepis exaltata

Conservation Status

Gorille de l'Ouest

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Sword Fern

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gorille de l'Ouest	Sword Fern
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	40 years	—
Average Length	1.7 m	—
Average Weight	160.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Sword Fern

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania), Asia (Turkey), Europe (Portugal, Spain), North America (Cuba), Oceania and the Pacific (6 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

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.