Chocolate Rim Lichen vs gray wolf

Protoparmelia badia compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

• Chocolate Rim Lichen is Near Threatened while gray wolf is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chocolate Rim Lichen	gray wolf
Kingdom	Fungi (真菌界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum	Ascomycota (子囊菌门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class	Lecanoromycetes (茶漬綱)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order	Lecanorales (茶漬目)	Carnivora (食肉目)
Family	Parmeliaceae	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Protoparmelia	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Protoparmelia badia	Canis lupus

Conservation Status

Chocolate Rim Lichen

NT — Near Threatened

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chocolate Rim Lichen	gray wolf
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	13 years
Average Length	—	1.6 m
Average Weight	—	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chocolate Rim Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

Chocolate Rim Lichen

The Chocolate Rim Lichen (Protoparmelia badia) is a crustose lichen in the family Parmeliaceae, found on exposed siliceous and acid rocks in montane and subalpine environments across Europe, North America, and other temperate and boreal regions. Crustose lichens form a tightly adhering crust directly on rock surfaces and lack the lobed margins of foliose lichens, making them impossible to remove from substrate without destroying the thallus. Protoparmelia badia forms a thin, pale grey to brownish-grey thallus with conspicuous reddish-brown to dark chocolate-brown apothecia (disc-shaped reproductive structures), from which the common name derives. The species is typical of well-lit, clean-air rocky habitats such as mountain summits, upland heathland, and acidic outcrops. Like many lichens, it is a pioneer coloniser of bare rock surfaces and contributes to the initial stages of soil formation. The IUCN classifies P. badia as Near Threatened, reflecting concerns about declining populations linked to air pollution — lichens are renowned biological indicators of air quality, being highly sensitive to sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and ammonia — as well as climate change effects on montane habitats and disturbance from rock climbing and other outdoor recreation.

gray wolf

灰狼是分布最广的野生犬科动物，分布范围从北美横跨欧亚大陆，栖息于冻原、森林和草原等多种生境。高度社会化的动物，以由占优势的繁殖对领导的家族群体生活。作为关键捕食者，狼调节猎物种群并深刻影响生态系统结构，黄石公园的重引入项目对此有充分证明。曾遭到严重迫害，但目前许多地区的种群正在恢复。

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States