African Black Duck vs Basking shark

Anas sparsa compared with Rhincodon typus

Key Differences

• African Black Duck is Least Concern while Basking shark is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African Black Duck	Basking shark
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)
Family	Anatidae	Rhincodontidae (Whale Sharks)
Genus	Anas	Rhincodon (Whale Sharks)
Species	Anas sparsa	Rhincodon typus

Evolutionary Relationship

African Black Duck and Basking shark share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

African Black Duck

LC — Least Concern

Basking shark

EN — Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African Black Duck	Basking shark
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	100 years
Average Length	—	12.0 m
Average Weight	—	20.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

African Black Duck

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom.

Basking shark

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate grasslands and steppes, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Chile, Portugal, Taiwan, and Venezuela. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

African Black Duck

The African Black Duck (Anas sparsa) is a species in the genus Anas. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This species inhabits Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments, found across Belgium, France, Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom.

Basking shark

The world's largest fish, whale sharks can exceed 12 meters and 20 tonnes, inhabiting tropical and warm temperate oceans worldwide. Despite their massive size, they are harmless filter feeders, consuming plankton, fish eggs, and small fish by swimming open-mouthed through prey-dense water. They undertake vast seasonal migrations following plankton blooms. Endangered due to fishing, boat strikes, and the live fin trade, with population declining by approximately 50% over the past 75 years.