Black-throated Mango vs Great Hammerhead

Anthracothorax nigricollis compared with Sphyrna mokarran

Key Differences

• Black-throated Mango is Least Concern while Great Hammerhead is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-throated Mango	Great Hammerhead
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)
Family	Trochilidae	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)
Genus	Anthracothorax	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)
Species	Anthracothorax nigricollis	Sphyrna mokarran

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-throated Mango and Great Hammerhead share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Black-throated Mango

LC — Least Concern

Great Hammerhead

CR — Critically Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-throated Mango	Great Hammerhead
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	5.0 m
Average Weight	—	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-throated Mango

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Great Hammerhead

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Indomalayan and Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

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

Black-throated Mango

A large, striking hummingbird of tropical forests from southern Mexico to Argentina, black-throated mangos have dramatic sexual dimorphism — males display glittering black throat and breast with violet and green flanks and a bold purple tail, while females are white below with a central black stripe. Inhabiting forest edges, clearings, and gardens, they aggressively defend flowering trees. Males perform spectacular aerial display flights at treetop height. Listed as Least Concern across their broad neotropical range.

Great Hammerhead

The largest hammerhead shark species, great hammerheads reach up to 6 meters and are found in tropical and subtropical coastal waters worldwide. Their distinctive T-shaped head (cephalofoil) dramatically increases sensory surface area for electroreception, enabling them to detect buried stingrays through sand with exceptional precision — stingrays are a preferred prey. Critically Endangered, with populations declining dramatically due to highly valued fins and bycatch mortality.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇻🇪 Venezuela