gray wolf vs Hard Shield Fern

Canis lupus compared with Polystichum aculeatum

Key Differences

• gray wolf is Critically Endangered while Hard Shield Fern is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	gray wolf	Hard Shield Fern
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (plantas)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Carnivora (carnívoros)	Polypodiales (Polypodiales)
Family	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)	Dryopteridaceae
Genus	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)	Polystichum
Species	Canis lupus	Polystichum aculeatum

Conservation Status

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Hard Shield Fern

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	gray wolf	Hard Shield Fern
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	13 years	—
Average Length	1.6 m	—
Average Weight	45.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Hard Shield Fern

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

gray wolf

O lobo-cinzento (Canis lupus), o canídeo selvagem mais amplamente distribuído, ocorre da América do Norte à Eurásia em habitats diversos, incluindo tundra, florestas e pradarias. São animais altamente sociais que vivem em matilhas familiares lideradas por um casal reprodutor dominante. Como predadores-chave, os lobos regulam as populações de presas e moldam profundamente a estrutura do ecossistema, como demonstrou sua reintrodução em Yellowstone. Antes muito perseguidos, as populações estão se recuperando em muitas regiões.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States