Fly Agaric vs Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel

Amanita muscaria compared with Belomys pearsonii

Key Differences

• Fly Agaric is Least Concern while Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel is Data Deficient.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Fly Agaric	Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel
Kingdom	Fungi (nấm)	Animalia (động vật)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (động vật có dây sống)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (lớp Thú)
Order	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)	Rodentia (Bộ Gặm nhấm)
Family	Agaricaceae (Agarics)	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Amanita (Amanitas)	Belomys
Species	Amanita muscaria	Belomys pearsonii

Conservation Status

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel

DD — Data Deficient

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Fly Agaric	Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel
Diet	Decomposer	—
Average Lifespan	1 years	—
Average Length	20 cm	—
Average Weight	100 g	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Fly Agaric

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

Hairy-footed Flying Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.