Great White Pelican vs Polar bear

Pelecanus onocrotalus compared with Ursus maritimus

Key Differences

• Great White Pelican is Not Evaluated while Polar bear is Vulnerable.
• Polar bear is 45.0x heavier than Great White Pelican.
• Great White Pelican lives longer (30 years vs 25 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Great White Pelican	Polar bear
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Pelecanidae	Ursidae (Bears)
Genus	Pelecanus	Ursus (Bears)
Species	Pelecanus onocrotalus	Ursus maritimus

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Great White Pelican

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Polar bear

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~26.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Great White Pelican	Polar bear
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	30 years	25 years
Average Length	1.6 m	2.4 m
Average Weight	10.0 kg	450.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Great White Pelican

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries).

Polar bear

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Norway. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Polar bear

The largest land carnivore on Earth, polar bears can exceed 700 kg and are found across Arctic sea ice from Canada to Russia. Highly specialized marine mammals that rely on sea ice to hunt ringed and bearded seals. Excellent swimmers capable of covering vast distances in open water. Listed as Vulnerable, with populations under severe pressure from rapid Arctic sea ice loss due to climate change.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway