African Openbill vs Basking shark

Anastomus lamelligerus compared with Rhincodon typus

Key Differences

African Openbill is Least Concern while Basking shark is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African Openbill	Basking shark
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	Rhincodontidae (Whale Sharks)
Genus	Anastomus	Rhincodon (Whale Sharks)
Species	Anastomus lamelligerus	Rhincodon typus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

African Openbill

LC — Least Concern

Basking shark

EN — Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

African Openbill

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Germany, and Norway.

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 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.

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.