Balkan Maple vs Basking shark

Acer hyrcanum compared with Rhincodon typus

Key Differences

Balkan Maple is Least Concern while Basking shark is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Maple	Basking shark
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Sapindales (Sapindales)	Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)
Family	Sapindaceae	Rhincodontidae (Whale Sharks)
Genus	Acer	Rhincodon (Whale Sharks)
Species	Acer hyrcanum	Rhincodon typus

Conservation Status

Balkan Maple

LC — Least Concern

Basking shark

EN — Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Maple

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.

Balkan Maple

The Balkan Maple (Acer hyrcanum) is a species in the genus Acer. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

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.