Common Goldspeck vs Bely Medved

Candelariella vitellina compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

Common Goldspeck is Least Concern while Bely Medved is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Goldspeck	Bely Medved
Kingdom	Fungi (грибы)	Animalia (животные)
Phylum	Ascomycota (аскомицеты)	Chordata (хордовые)
Class	Candelariomycetes (Candelariomycetes)	Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order	Candelariales (Candelariales)	Carnivora (хищные)
Family	Candelariaceae	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Candelariella	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Candelariella vitellina	Ursus maritimus

Conservation Status

Common Goldspeck

LC — Least Concern

Bely Medved

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Goldspeck	Bely Medved
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	25 years
Average Length	—	2.4 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Goldspeck

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

Bely Medved

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Goldspeck

<em>Candelariella vitellina</em>, commonly known as common goldspeck, is a crustose lichen belonging to the genus Candelariella within the family Candelariaceae. This species inhabits ecosystems across Europe and North America and South America, reflecting a broad geographic tolerance suited to its saxicolous lifestyle. Its known range includes populations in four European countries, the United States in North America, and Colombia in South America. The species is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that current population trends do not suggest elevated extinction risk. Common goldspeck typically colonizes exposed rock surfaces, bark, and other firm substrates in open environments where light availability supports its photosynthetic activity. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Bely Medved

The largest land carnivore on Earth, polar bears can exceed 700 kg and are found across Arctic sea ice from Canada to Russia. Highly specialized marine mammals that rely on sea ice to hunt ringed and bearded seals. Excellent swimmers capable of covering vast distances in open water. Listed as Vulnerable, with populations under severe pressure from rapid Arctic sea ice loss due to climate change.