Hortle's whipray vs Komodo Dragon

Pateobatis hortlei compared with Varanus komodoensis

Key Differences

Hortle's whipray is Near Threatened while Komodo Dragon is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hortle's whipray	Komodo Dragon
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)	Squamata (Lizards & Snakes)
Family	Dasyatidae	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)
Genus	Pateobatis	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)
Species	Pateobatis hortlei	Varanus komodoensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Hortle's whipray and Komodo Dragon share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Hortle's whipray

NT — Near Threatened

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hortle's whipray	Komodo Dragon
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	2.6 m
Average Weight	—	70.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hortle's whipray

Komodo Dragon

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 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

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