Common Moonwort vs Eurasian beaver

Botrychium lunaria compared with Castor fiber

Key Differences

Common Moonwort is Endangered while Eurasian beaver is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Moonwort	Eurasian beaver
Kingdom	Plantae (thực vật)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum	Tracheophyta	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)
Class	Polypodiopsida (Lớp Dương xỉ)	Mammalia (lớp Thú)
Order	Ophioglossales (Bộ Lưỡi rắn)	Rodentia (Bộ Gặm nhấm)
Family	Ophioglossaceae	Castoridae (Beavers)
Genus	Botrychium	Castor (Beavers)
Species	Botrychium lunaria	Castor fiber

Conservation Status

Common Moonwort

EN — Endangered

Eurasian beaver

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Moonwort	Eurasian beaver
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Moonwort

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), 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.

Eurasian beaver

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Moonwort

Common Moonwort (<em>Botrychium lunaria</em>) is a small fern in the genus <em>Botrychium</em>, family Ophioglossaceae. It is distributed across Asia, Europe, and North America, with confirmed presence in Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden, as well as Taiwan and the United States. The species is typically found in moist, shaded forest floors and tropical canopies. Common Moonwort is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it faces significant conservation challenges across its range. Its distinctive frond is divided into two parts: a sterile fan-shaped leaf portion with rounded lobes resembling a crescent moon, and a fertile spike bearing spore-bearing structures. As a fern ally rather than a flowering plant, it reproduces via spores rather than seeds. The species is associated with stable, undisturbed habitats including ancient grasslands, upland heaths, and rocky slopes. Its sensitivity to habitat disturbance and changes in land management are thought to contribute to population declines. Specific biological measurements such as lifespan and dimensions are not documented in available records.

Eurasian beaver

Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.