Big Finner vs Mexican cedar

Balaenoptera physalus compared with Cedrela odorata

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big Finner	Mexican cedar
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Sapindales (Sapindales)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Meliaceae
Genus	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)	Cedrela
Species	Balaenoptera physalus	Cedrela odorata

Conservation Status

Big Finner

EN — Endangered

Mexican cedar

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big Finner	Mexican cedar
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.

Mexican cedar

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 9 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (18 countries), Asia (Taiwan), North America (6 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (6 countries), and South America (Brazil, Colombia). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇹🇼 Taiwan