Basking shark vs black-calabash

Rhincodon typus compared with Amphitecna latifolia

Key Differences

• Basking shark is Endangered while black-calabash is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Basking shark	black-calabash
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)	Lamiales (Lamiales)
Family	Rhincodontidae (Whale Sharks)	Bignoniaceae
Genus	Rhincodon (Whale Sharks)	Amphitecna
Species	Rhincodon typus	Amphitecna latifolia

Conservation Status

Basking shark

EN — Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

black-calabash

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Basking shark	black-calabash
Diet	Omnivore	—
Average Lifespan	100 years	—
Average Length	12.0 m	—
Average Weight	20.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

black-calabash

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Cuba.

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.

black-calabash

The Black-calabash (Amphitecna latifolia) is a species in the genus Amphitecna. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.