Clover Dodder vs gorilla

Cuscuta epithymum compared with Gorilla gorilla

Key Differences

Clover Dodder is Endangered while gorilla is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Clover Dodder	gorilla
Kingdom	Plantae (식물)	Animalia (동물)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (피자식물문)	Chordata (척삭동물)
Class	Magnoliopsida (목련강)	Mammalia (포유류)
Order	Solanales (가지목)	Primates (영장목)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Hominidae (Great Apes)
Genus	Cuscuta	Gorilla (Gorillas)
Species	Cuscuta epithymum	Gorilla gorilla

Conservation Status

Clover Dodder

EN — Endangered

gorilla

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Clover Dodder	gorilla
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	1.7 m
Average Weight	—	160.0 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.

gorilla

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.

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.

gorilla

세계에서 가장 큰 영장류인 서부고릴라는 체중이 최대 180kg에 달하며 적도 아프리카의 열대 및 아열대 삼림에 서식한다. 주로 초식성이며, 무리를 보호하고 사회적 갈등을 중재하는 실버백 수컷이 이끄는 가족 집단을 이루어 생활한다. 삼림 벌채, 식육용 밀렵, 에볼라 바이러스 발병의 위협으로 인해 심각한 위기(CR) 종으로 지정되었다.