African Openbill vs Anchovy-Eater

Anastomus lamelligerus compared with Carcharodon carcharias

Key Differences

• African Openbill is Least Concern while Anchovy-Eater is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African Openbill	Anchovy-Eater
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Ciconiiformes (Ciconiiformes)	Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)
Family	Ciconiidae	Lamnidae (Mackerel Sharks)
Genus	Anastomus	Carcharodon (Great White Sharks)
Species	Anastomus lamelligerus	Carcharodon carcharias

Evolutionary Relationship

African Openbill and Anchovy-Eater share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

African Openbill

LC — Least Concern

Anchovy-Eater

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African Openbill	Anchovy-Eater
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	70 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	1.1 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

African Openbill

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Germany, and Norway.

Anchovy-Eater

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and temperate grasslands and steppes, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

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

African Openbill

The African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus) is a species in the genus Anastomus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Anchovy-Eater

The largest predatory fish on Earth, great white sharks can reach 6 meters and 2,000 kg, inhabiting cool coastal and offshore waters in all major oceans. Apex predators employing ambush attacks from below, primarily on marine mammals, large fish, and seabirds. Despite their fearsome reputation, unprovoked attacks on humans are extremely rare. Vulnerable, with populations declining from finning, bycatch, and targeted fishing despite legal protections in many jurisdictions.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway