Bamboo bear vs Common Moonwort

Ailuropoda melanoleuca compared with Botrychium lunaria

Key Differences

Bamboo bear is Vulnerable while Common Moonwort is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bamboo bear	Common Moonwort
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Carnivora (carnívoros)	Ophioglossales (Ophioglossales)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Ophioglossaceae
Genus	Ailuropoda (Giant Pandas)	Botrychium
Species	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Botrychium lunaria

Conservation Status

Bamboo bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~1.9K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Common Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bamboo bear	Common Moonwort
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	20 years	—
Average Length	1.5 m	—
Average Weight	100.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bamboo bear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate coniferous forests, and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, among 7 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in China. 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.

Bamboo bear

O panda-gigante (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) é um animal emblemático da China, célebre pela sua pelagem branca e preta e pela dieta baseada quase exclusivamente em bambu. Seu estado de conservação é vulnerável (VU), é o animal-bandeira da conservação internacional da vida silvestre e sua população apresentou alguma recuperação nos últimos anos.

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.