Autumn Snowflake vs Basking shark

Acis autumnalis compared with Rhincodon typus

Key Differences

• Autumn Snowflake is Least Concern while Basking shark is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Autumn Snowflake	Basking shark
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Asparagales (Asparagales)	Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)
Family	Amaryllidaceae	Rhincodontidae (Whale Sharks)
Genus	Acis	Rhincodon (Whale Sharks)
Species	Acis autumnalis	Rhincodon typus

Conservation Status

Autumn Snowflake

LC — Least Concern

Basking shark

EN — Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Autumn Snowflake	Basking shark
Diet	—	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	—	100 years
Average Length	—	12.0 m
Average Weight	—	20.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Autumn Snowflake

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Found in Norway.

Basking shark

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate grasslands and steppes, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Chile, Portugal, Taiwan, and Venezuela. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Autumn Snowflake

The Autumn Snowflake (Acis autumnalis) is a species in the genus Acis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Basking shark

The world's largest fish, whale sharks can exceed 12 meters and 20 tonnes, inhabiting tropical and warm temperate oceans worldwide. Despite their massive size, they are harmless filter feeders, consuming plankton, fish eggs, and small fish by swimming open-mouthed through prey-dense water. They undertake vast seasonal migrations following plankton blooms. Endangered due to fishing, boat strikes, and the live fin trade, with population declining by approximately 50% over the past 75 years.