Greater New Zealand Short-tailed Bat vs Mute Swan

Mystacina robusta compared with Cygnus olor

Key Differences

• Greater New Zealand Short-tailed Bat is Critically Endangered while Mute Swan is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Greater New Zealand Short-tailed Bat	Mute Swan
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Chiroptera (Bats)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Mystacinidae	Anatidae
Genus	Mystacina	Cygnus
Species	Mystacina robusta	Cygnus olor

Evolutionary Relationship

Greater New Zealand Short-tailed Bat and Mute Swan share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Greater New Zealand Short-tailed Bat

CR — Critically Endangered

Mute Swan

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~600.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Greater New Zealand Short-tailed Bat	Mute Swan
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	20 years
Average Length	—	1.5 m
Average Weight	—	12.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Greater New Zealand Short-tailed Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Mute Swan

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 8 distinct biome types.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (4 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Dominican Republic, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Colombia, Peru). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Mute Swan

The most commonly encountered swan globally and one of the largest flying birds, mute swans weigh up to 15 kg and inhabit lakes, rivers, and coastal bays across Europe and Asia, with widespread introduced populations in North America and Australia. Despite their name, mute swans produce a range of hissing, grunting, and wing-whistling sounds. Males aggressively defend territories and are capable of injuring humans and drowning dogs with powerful wing strikes.