Common Spreadwing vs Cuvier's beaked whale

Lestes sponsa compared with Ziphius cavirostris

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Spreadwing	Cuvier's beaked whale
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Lestidae	Hyperoodontidae
Genus	Lestes	Ziphius
Species	Lestes sponsa	Ziphius cavirostris

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Spreadwing and Cuvier's beaked whale share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Common Spreadwing

LC — Least Concern

Cuvier's beaked whale

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Spreadwing	Cuvier's beaked whale
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Spreadwing

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Cuvier's beaked whale

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Common Spreadwing

Common Spreadwing (Lestes sponsa) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden