blue whale vs Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

Balaenoptera musculus compared with Hippopotamus amphibius

Key Differences

• blue whale is carnivore while Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is herbivore.
• blue whale is 100.0x heavier than Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo.
• blue whale lives longer (90 years vs 40 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	blue whale	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)
Genus	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)	Hippopotamus (Hippos)
Species	Balaenoptera musculus	Hippopotamus amphibius

Evolutionary Relationship

blue whale and Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

blue whale

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~15.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	blue whale	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo
Diet	Carnivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	90 years	40 years
Average Length	30.0 m	3.5 m
Average Weight	150.0 t	1.5 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

blue whale

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

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 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

blue whale

The largest animal ever known to have lived on Earth, blue whales can reach 33 meters and 200 tonnes — their hearts alone weigh as much as a small car. Found in all oceans, they migrate between polar feeding grounds and tropical breeding areas. Filter feeders consuming up to 4 tonnes of krill daily. Endangered, with global populations estimated at 10,000–25,000 after near-extinction from 20th-century whaling.

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

Africa's most dangerous large mammal, common hippos can reach 3,200 kg and inhabit rivers, lakes, and wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa. Semi-aquatic, spending up to 16 hours daily submerged to keep cool, they graze on land at night. Despite appearing docile, hippos are extremely aggressive and territorial, responsible for hundreds of human fatalities annually. Vulnerable, with populations threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting for ivory tusks.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia