Atlantic Thresher vs Buckelwal

Alopias vulpinus compared with Megaptera novaeangliae

Key Differences

• Atlantic Thresher is Not Evaluated while Buckelwal is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Atlantic Thresher	Buckelwal
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Alopiidae	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)
Genus	Alopias	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)
Species	Alopias vulpinus	Megaptera novaeangliae

Evolutionary Relationship

Atlantic Thresher and Buckelwal share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Atlantic Thresher

NE — Not Evaluated

Buckelwal

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Atlantic Thresher	Buckelwal
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	15.0 m
Average Weight	—	30.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Atlantic Thresher

Habitat

Typically found in marine environments from coastal waters to deep ocean.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and South America (Chile, Venezuela).

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.

Atlantic Thresher

The Atlantic Thresher (Alopias vulpinus) is a species in the genus Alopias. Typically found in marine environments from coastal waters to deep ocean.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 6 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇻🇪 Venezuela