North Atlantic right whale vs Royal Tern

Eubalaena glacialis compared with Thalasseus maximus

Key Differences

• North Atlantic right whale is Extinct while Royal Tern is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	North Atlantic right whale	Royal Tern
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
Family	Balaenidae	Laridae
Genus	Eubalaena	Thalasseus
Species	Eubalaena glacialis	Thalasseus maximus

Evolutionary Relationship

North Atlantic right whale and Royal Tern share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

North Atlantic right whale

EX — Extinct

Royal Tern

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	North Atlantic right whale	Royal Tern
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

North Atlantic right whale

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden.

Royal Tern

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, Sweden, and Venezuela.

Royal Tern

Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus) 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 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden