Cat vs Clover Dodder

Felis catus compared with Cuscuta epithymum

Key Differences

Cat is Not Evaluated while Clover Dodder is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cat	Clover Dodder
Kingdom	Animalia (동물)	Plantae (식물)
Phylum	Chordata (척삭동물)	Magnoliophyta (피자식물문)
Class	Mammalia (포유류)	Magnoliopsida (목련강)
Order	Carnivora (식육목)	Solanales (가지목)
Family	Felidae (Cats)	Convolvulaceae
Genus	Felis (Small Cats)	Cuscuta
Species	Felis catus	Cuscuta epithymum

Conservation Status

Cat

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cat	Clover Dodder
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	46 cm	—
Average Weight	4.5 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cat

Habitat

Inhabits deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (9 countries), Asia (7 countries), Europe (11 countries), North America (13 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (11 countries), and South America (6 countries).

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.

Cat

인류에게 가장 성공적인 반려동물 중 하나인 집고양이는 약 10,000년 전 근동 지역의 야생고양이(Felis silvestris lybica)에서 가축화된 소형 민첩한 육식동물이다. 70개 이상의 공인 품종이 존재하며, 고양이는 강한 포식 본능을 유지한 채 지구상의 거의 모든 육상 환경에 분포하고 있다. 세계에서 가장 인기 있는 반려동물로, 전 세계 약 6억 마리가 사육되고 있다.

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.