Big Finner vs Salted Shield Lichen

Balaenoptera physalus compared with Parmelia saxatilis

Key Differences

• Big Finner is Endangered while Salted Shield Lichen is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big Finner	Salted Shield Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Parmeliaceae
Genus	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)	Parmelia
Species	Balaenoptera physalus	Parmelia saxatilis

Conservation Status

Big Finner

EN — Endangered

Salted Shield Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big Finner	Salted Shield Lichen
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.

Salted Shield Lichen

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, and United States.

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 4 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden