Bignose fanskate vs common bottlenose dolphin

Sympterygia acuta compared with Tursiops truncatus

Key Differences

• Bignose fanskate is Critically Endangered while common bottlenose dolphin is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bignose fanskate	common bottlenose dolphin
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rajiformes (Rajiformes)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Arhynchobatidae	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)
Genus	Sympterygia	Tursiops (Bottlenose Dolphins)
Species	Sympterygia acuta	Tursiops truncatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Bignose fanskate and common bottlenose dolphin share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Bignose fanskate

CR — Critically Endangered

common bottlenose dolphin

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~600.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bignose fanskate	common bottlenose dolphin
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	45 years
Average Length	—	3.0 m
Average Weight	—	300.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bignose fanskate

common bottlenose dolphin

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 12 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Bignose fanskate

The Bignose fanskate (Sympterygia acuta) is a species in the genus Sympterygia. It is currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

common bottlenose dolphin

The most studied and recognized dolphin species, bottlenose dolphins inhabit warm and temperate oceans worldwide, from coastal shallows to the open sea. Highly intelligent with large brains relative to body size, they demonstrate self-recognition, complex communication, and social learning. They live in fluid fission-fusion societies and cooperate to herd fish. A keystone indicator species for marine ecosystem health.