Alequim vs Common Moonwort

Carcharodon carcharias compared with Botrychium lunaria

Key Differences

Alequim is Vulnerable while Common Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alequim	Common Moonwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Tracheophyta
Class	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Lamnidae (Mackerel Sharks)	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Carcharodon (Great White Sharks)	Botrychium
Species	Carcharodon carcharias	Botrychium lunaria

Conservation Status

Alequim

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Common Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alequim	Common Moonwort
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	70 years	—
Average Length	5.0 m	—
Average Weight	1.1 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alequim

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Chile, Norway, Portugal, and Taiwan. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Alequim

O tubarão-branco é o maior peixe predador da Terra, podendo atingir 6 metros de comprimento e 2.000 kg, habitando águas costeiras e oceânicas frias em todos os principais oceanos. São predadores de topo que empregam ataques de emboscada por baixo, direcionados principalmente a mamíferos marinhos, peixes de grande porte e aves marinhas. Apesar de sua terrível reputação, ataques não provocados a humanos são extremamente raros. Classificado como Vulnerável (VU), com populações em declínio devido ao corte de barbatanas, captura acidental e pesca direcionada, apesar das proteções legais vigentes em muitas jurisdições.

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.