Big eye thresher shark vs blue whale

Alopias superciliosus compared with Balaenoptera musculus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big eye thresher shark	blue whale
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	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)
Species	Alopias superciliosus	Balaenoptera musculus

Evolutionary Relationship

Big eye thresher shark and blue whale share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Big eye thresher shark

VU — Vulnerable

blue whale

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~15.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big eye thresher shark	blue whale
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	90 years
Average Length	—	30.0 m
Average Weight	—	150.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big eye thresher shark

Habitat

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

Range

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

blue whale

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 (4 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Big eye thresher shark

The Big eye thresher shark (Alopias superciliosus) is a species in the genus Alopias. It is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in marine environments from coastal waters to deep ocean.

blue whale

The largest animal ever known to have lived on Earth, blue whales can reach 33 meters and 200 tonnes — their hearts alone weigh as much as a small car. Found in all oceans, they migrate between polar feeding grounds and tropical breeding areas. Filter feeders consuming up to 4 tonnes of krill daily. Endangered, with global populations estimated at 10,000–25,000 after near-extinction from 20th-century whaling.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇹🇼 Taiwan