ciliate fringewort vs Green Sea Turtle

Ptilidium ciliare compared with Chelonia mydas

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	ciliate fringewort	Green Sea Turtle
Kingdom	Plantae (растения)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum	Marchantiophyta (печёночные мхи)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class	Jungermanniopsida (юнгерманиевые печёночники)	Reptilia (пресмыкающиеся)
Order	Ptilidiales (Ptilidiales)	Testudines (черепахи)
Family	Ptilidiaceae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Ptilidium	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Ptilidium ciliare	Chelonia mydas

Conservation Status

ciliate fringewort

EN — Endangered

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	ciliate fringewort	Green Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	80 years
Average Length	—	1.2 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

ciliate fringewort

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across 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.

Green Sea Turtle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Mexico. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

ciliate fringewort

Ciliate fringewort (Ptilidium ciliare) is a leafy liverwort in the family Ptilidiaceae, found in boreal and montane regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe, North America, and parts of northern Asia. It grows as a creeping, irregularly branched mat with leaves divided into deeply fringed lobes edged with long, hair-like cilia—the characteristic feature that gives the species its common name. Ciliate fringewort colonizes a variety of substrates including rock surfaces, boulders, tree trunks, and peaty ground in open to moderately shaded habitats such as heathland, moorland, montane grasslands, and subalpine and subarctic vegetation. It is particularly common on exposed rocks in boreal and tundra zones. The species is classified as Endangered in parts of Europe, where lowland populations have declined severely due to atmospheric nitrogen deposition, afforestation of open heathland, and the loss of traditionally managed heath and moorland habitats. Populations in montane and boreal zones remain more stable. Ciliate fringewort is sensitive to elevated nitrogen levels that promote the competitive dominance of grasses and mosses. Restoration of lowland heathland and reduction of nitrogen pollution are key measures needed to support remaining European populations. The species is better represented in Scandinavian boreal habitats and North American taiga and tundra.