Buckelwal vs Great White Pelican

Megaptera novaeangliae compared with Pelecanus onocrotalus

Key Differences

• Buckelwal is Vulnerable while Great White Pelican is Not Evaluated.
• Buckelwal is 3000.0x heavier than Great White Pelican.
• Buckelwal lives longer (50 years vs 30 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buckelwal	Great White Pelican
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Pelecanidae
Genus	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)	Pelecanus
Species	Megaptera novaeangliae	Pelecanus onocrotalus

Evolutionary Relationship

Buckelwal and Great White Pelican share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Buckelwal

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Great White Pelican

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buckelwal	Great White Pelican
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	50 years	30 years
Average Length	15.0 m	1.6 m
Average Weight	30.0 t	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Buckelwal

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 (5 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Great White Pelican

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries).

Buckelwal

Among the most acrobatic of the great whales, humpback whales are renowned for their complex, haunting songs sung by males during breeding season — some lasting hours and evolving over time. Reaching 16 meters and 30 tonnes, they undertake the longest migrations of any mammal. Found in all oceans, humpbacks feed on krill and small fish using cooperative bubble-net feeding. Populations have largely recovered from historic whaling.

Great White Pelican

One of the world's largest pelicans, great white pelicans have wingspans reaching 3.6 meters and inhabit shallow lakes and wetlands across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Social birds breeding in large colonies and foraging cooperatively — groups of pelicans corral fish into shallow water before scooping them in their expandable throat pouches. Their pouches can hold up to 13 liters of water. Listed as Least Concern globally with stable populations.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden