Clover Dodder vs イヌワシ

Cuscuta epithymum compared with Aquila chrysaetos

Key Differences

Clover Dodder is Endangered while イヌワシ is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Dodder	イヌワシ
Kingdom	Plantae (植物)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (被子植物門)	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Magnoliopsida (モクレン綱)	Aves (鳥類)
Order	Solanales (ナス目)	Accipitriformes (タカ目)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Cuscuta	Aquila (True Eagles)
Species	Cuscuta epithymum	Aquila chrysaetos

Conservation Status

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

イヌワシ

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Dodder	イヌワシ
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	85 cm
Average Weight	—	5.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Clover Dodder

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands, among 8 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Europe (9 countries), North America (Canada, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Argentina, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

イヌワシ

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Clover Dodder

Clover dodder (Cuscuta epithymum) is a parasitic flowering plant in the family Convolvulaceae, a leafless, twining vine that obtains all its water and nutrients from host plants via haustoria — specialized penetrating organs that connect to host vascular tissue. The species is almost entirely dependent on its hosts throughout its life, with only brief photosynthetic activity during germination before establishing parasitic connections. C. epithymum parasitizes a wide range of host species including clover (Trifolium), gorse (Ulex), heathers (Erica, Calluna), thyme (Thymus), and other plants in open heathland, grassland, and scrub habitats. The stems are thread-like, yellowish-pink or reddish, and support clusters of small white to pale pink flowers. Originally widespread across Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Americas, the species has declined significantly in many parts of its range due to agricultural intensification, herbicide application, grassland conversion, and loss of semi-natural heathlands. It is currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, reflecting population decline across its European core range. Conservation of C. epithymum requires the maintenance of unimproved, low-nutrient grasslands and heathlands that support its diverse host plant communities. The species is recorded from Africa, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America, though populations in some regions represent introductions associated with contaminated legume seed lots.

イヌワシ

世界で最も強力で広く分布する猛禽類の一つであるイヌワシは、翼開長が2.2mに達し、北半球全域の山岳地帯に生息する。卓越した空中ハンターで、滑空飛行と時速200km以上の急降下を利用してウサギ、ノウサギ、ジリス、時には子鹿やキツネを捕食する。多くの文化において数千年にわたる鷹狩り伝統の中心的存在であった。