Australian humpback dolphin vs Coelacanth

Sousa sahulensis compared with Latimeria chalumnae

Key Differences

• Australian humpback dolphin is Vulnerable while Coelacanth is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Australian humpback dolphin	Coelacanth
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Coelacanthi (Coelacanthi)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Coelacanthiformes (Coelacanthiformes)
Family	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)	Latimeriidae
Genus	Sousa	Latimeria
Species	Sousa sahulensis	Latimeria chalumnae

Evolutionary Relationship

Australian humpback dolphin and Coelacanth share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Australian humpback dolphin

VU — Vulnerable

Coelacanth

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~500

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Australian humpback dolphin	Coelacanth
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	100 years
Average Length	—	1.8 m
Average Weight	—	80.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Australian humpback dolphin

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Coelacanth

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 8 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Comoros, Indonesia, Mozambique, and South Africa. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Australian humpback dolphin

The Australian humpback dolphin (Sousa sahulensis) is a species in the genus Sousa. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Coelacanth

A living fossil thought extinct for 65 million years until rediscovered off South Africa in 1938, coelacanths can reach 2 meters and 90 kg. They belong to an ancient lobe-finned lineage more closely related to tetrapods than to ray-finned fish, making them scientifically invaluable for understanding vertebrate evolution. Found in deep rocky reef habitats of the Indian Ocean, they are nocturnal and undergo internal fertilization, giving birth to fully formed live young. Critically Endangered.