Apollo vs Big Finner

Parnassius apollo compared with Balaenoptera physalus

Key Differences

• Apollo is Near Threatened while Big Finner is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Apollo	Big Finner
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lepidoptera (Butterflies & Moths)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Papilionidae	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)
Genus	Parnassius	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)
Species	Parnassius apollo	Balaenoptera physalus

Evolutionary Relationship

Apollo and Big Finner share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Apollo

NT — Near Threatened

Big Finner

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Apollo	Big Finner
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Apollo

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found across Europe (29 countries). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Big Finner

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

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

Apollo

Apollo (Parnassius apollo) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Big Finner

Big Finner (Balaenoptera physalus) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden