Blue Dolphin vs Common Moonwort

Stenella coeruleoalba compared with Botrychium lunaria

Key Differences

• Blue Dolphin is Least Concern while Common Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Blue Dolphin	Common Moonwort
Kingdom	Animalia (動物)	Plantae (植物)
Phylum	Chordata (脊索動物)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (哺乳類)	Polypodiopsida (ウラボシ綱)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Ophioglossales (ハナヤスリ目)
Family	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Stenella	Botrychium
Species	Stenella coeruleoalba	Botrychium lunaria

Conservation Status

Blue Dolphin

LC — Least Concern

Common Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Blue Dolphin	Common Moonwort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Blue Dolphin

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Common Moonwort

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and North America (United States). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Blue Dolphin

スジイルカ（Stenella coeruleoalba）はIUCNレッドリストで軽度懸念（LC）に分類されています。分布域全体で広く豊富に生息し、個体数は安定しており、即座の保全上の懸念はありません。

Common Moonwort

Common Moonwort (<em>Botrychium lunaria</em>) is a small fern in the genus <em>Botrychium</em>, family Ophioglossaceae. It is distributed across Asia, Europe, and North America, with confirmed presence in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as Taiwan and the United States. The species is typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies. Common Moonwort is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it faces significant conservation challenges across its range. Its distinctive frond is divided into two parts: a sterile fan-shaped leaf portion with rounded lobes resembling a crescent moon, and a fertile spike bearing spore-bearing structures. As a fern ally rather than a flowering plant, it reproduces via spores rather than seeds. The species is associated with stable, undisturbed habitats including ancient grasslands, upland heaths, and rocky slopes. Its sensitivity to habitat disturbance and changes in land management are thought to contribute to population declines. Specific biological measurements such as lifespan and dimensions are not documented in available records.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan