Common Rustgill vs gray wolf

Gymnopilus penetrans compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

• Common Rustgill is Least Concern while gray wolf is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Rustgill	gray wolf
Kingdom	Fungi (เห็ดรา)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Carnivora (สัตว์กินเนื้อ)
Family	Hymenogastraceae	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Gymnopilus	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Gymnopilus penetrans	Canis lupus

Conservation Status

Common Rustgill

LC — Least Concern

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Rustgill	gray wolf
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	13 years
Average Length	—	1.6 m
Average Weight	—	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Rustgill

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

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.

Common Rustgill

<em>Gymnopilus penetrans</em>, the common rustgill, is a saprotrophic basidiomycete fungus in the family Hymenogastraceae, commonly found across temperate regions of Europe and beyond. It has been recorded in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, typically fruiting on decaying conifer wood, stumps, buried roots, and woody debris in forests and woodland habitats. The fruiting bodies are small to medium-sized mushrooms with tawny orange to rust-brown caps, typically 2–7 centimeters in diameter, and bright rusty-orange gills that give the species its common name. The stem is similarly colored and typically fibrous. As a wood-decaying fungus, common rustgill plays an important ecological role in the decomposition of dead conifer timber and the recycling of nutrients in forest ecosystems. The species produces minute, roughened, rusty-brown spores. It is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The common rustgill typically fruits from late summer through autumn. It may occasionally be confused with related <em>Gymnopilus</em> species; some members of the genus contain potentially toxic or psychoactive compounds, though <em>G. penetrans</em> is generally considered of low toxicity. Biological traits such as average lifespan and detailed dietary substrate specificity remain poorly documented in comprehensive ecological databases.

gray wolf

The most widely distributed wild canid, gray wolves range from North America across Eurasia in diverse habitats including tundra, forests, and grasslands. Highly social animals living in family packs led by a dominant breeding pair. As keystone predators, wolves regulate prey populations and profoundly shape ecosystem structure, as demonstrated by their reintroduction in Yellowstone. Once heavily persecuted, populations are recovering in many regions.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden