Balkan Maple vs Coelacanth

Acer hyrcanum compared with Latimeria chalumnae

Key Differences

Balkan Maple is Least Concern while Coelacanth is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Maple	Coelacanth
Kingdom	Plantae (พืช)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Magnoliopsida (พืชใบเลี้ยงคู่)	Coelacanthi (Coelacanthi)
Order	Sapindales (อันดับเงาะ)	Coelacanthiformes (ปลาซีลาแคนท์)
Family	Sapindaceae	Latimeriidae
Genus	Acer	Latimeria
Species	Acer hyrcanum	Latimeria chalumnae

Conservation Status

Balkan Maple

LC — Least Concern

Coelacanth

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~500

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Balkan Maple	Coelacanth
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	100 years
Average Length	—	1.8 m
Average Weight	—	80.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Maple

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Coelacanth

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 spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Comoros, Indonesia, Mozambique, and South Africa. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Balkan Maple

The Balkan Maple (Acer hyrcanum) is a species in the genus Acer. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Coelacanth

A living fossil thought extinct for 65 million years until rediscovered off South Africa in 1938, coelacanths can reach 2 meters and 90 kg. They belong to an ancient lobe-finned lineage more closely related to tetrapods than to ray-finned fish, making them scientifically invaluable for understanding vertebrate evolution. Found in deep rocky reef habitats of the Indian Ocean, they are nocturnal and undergo internal fertilization, giving birth to fully formed live young. Critically Endangered.