Guanche Woodfern vs Lion d'Afrique

Dryopteris guanchica compared with Panthera leo

Key Differences

• Guanche Woodfern is Least Concern while Lion d'Afrique is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Guanche Woodfern	Lion d'Afrique
Kingdom	Plantae (plante)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Filicopsida)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)	Carnivora (carnivores)
Family	Dryopteridaceae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Dryopteris	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Dryopteris guanchica	Panthera leo

Conservation Status

Guanche Woodfern

LC — Least Concern

Lion d'Afrique

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~23.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Guanche Woodfern

Habitat

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

Range

Found in Portugal.

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.