Annual Marsh Fleabane vs Buckelwal

Pluchea odorata compared with Megaptera novaeangliae

Key Differences

Annual Marsh Fleabane is Least Concern while Buckelwal is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Annual Marsh Fleabane	Buckelwal
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Asterales (Daisies & Sunflowers)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Asteraceae (Daisy Family)	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)
Genus	Pluchea	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)
Species	Pluchea odorata	Megaptera novaeangliae

Conservation Status

Annual Marsh Fleabane

LC — Least Concern

Buckelwal

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Annual Marsh Fleabane	Buckelwal
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	15.0 m
Average Weight	—	30.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Annual Marsh Fleabane

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Oceanian biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Japan, and Marshall Islands.

Buckelwal

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Annual Marsh Fleabane

The Annual Marsh Fleabane (Pluchea odorata) is a species in the genus Pluchea. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Oceanian biogeographic realm.

Buckelwal

Among the most acrobatic of the great whales, humpback whales are renowned for their complex, haunting songs sung by males during breeding season — some lasting hours and evolving over time. Reaching 16 meters and 30 tonnes, they undertake the longest migrations of any mammal. Found in all oceans, humpbacks feed on krill and small fish using cooperative bubble-net feeding. Populations have largely recovered from historic whaling.