Atlantic Spotted Dolphin vs Merlin

Stenella frontalis compared with Falco columbarius

Key Differences

• Atlantic Spotted Dolphin is Data Deficient while Merlin is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Atlantic Spotted Dolphin	Merlin
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)
Family	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)	Falconidae
Genus	Stenella	Falco
Species	Stenella frontalis	Falco columbarius

Evolutionary Relationship

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin and Merlin share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

DD — Data Deficient

Merlin

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Atlantic Spotted Dolphin	Merlin
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Norway, Portugal, and Venezuela.

Merlin

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (5 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

The Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella frontalis) is a species in the genus Stenella. Its conservation status is listed as Data Deficient on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Merlin

Merlin (Falco columbarius) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela