Bamboo bear vs Western Sword-fern

Ailuropoda melanoleuca compared with Polystichum munitum

Key Differences

• Bamboo bear is Vulnerable while Western Sword-fern is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bamboo bear	Western Sword-fern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Carnivora (carnívoros)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Ursidae (Bears)	Dryopteridaceae
Genus	Ailuropoda (Giant Pandas)	Polystichum
Species	Ailuropoda melanoleuca	Polystichum munitum

Conservation Status

Bamboo bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~1.9K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Western Sword-fern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bamboo bear	Western Sword-fern
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.

Western Sword-fern

Habitat

Typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (Canada).

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.