Big Finner vs Ferny Azolla

Balaenoptera physalus compared with Azolla pinnata

Key Differences

Big Finner is Endangered while Ferny Azolla is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big Finner	Ferny Azolla
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Polypodiopsida (Polypodiopsida)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Salviniales (Salviniales)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Salviniaceae
Genus	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)	Azolla
Species	Balaenoptera physalus	Azolla pinnata

Conservation Status

Big Finner

EN — Endangered

Ferny Azolla

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big Finner	Ferny Azolla
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big Finner

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Ferny Azolla

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including deserts and xeric shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas spanning the Palearctic and Oceanian realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (4 countries), Asia (Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan), North America (Mexico, United States), and Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Tuvalu).

Big Finner

Big Finner (Balaenoptera physalus) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.