Apple Snail vs Buckelwal

Pomacea glauca compared with Megaptera novaeangliae

Key Differences

• Apple Snail is Least Concern while Buckelwal is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Apple Snail	Buckelwal
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Mollusca (Weichtiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Gastropoda (Schnecken)	Mammalia (Säugetiere)
Order	Architaenioglossa (Architaenioglossa)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Ampullariidae	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)
Genus	Pomacea	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)
Species	Pomacea glauca	Megaptera novaeangliae

Evolutionary Relationship

Apple Snail and Buckelwal share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Tier)

Conservation Status

Apple Snail

LC — Least Concern

Buckelwal

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Apple Snail	Buckelwal
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	15.0 m
Average Weight	—	30.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Apple Snail

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Dominican Republic, Norway, and Venezuela.

Buckelwal

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 11 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (5 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Apple Snail

The Apple Snail (Pomacea glauca) is a species in the genus Pomacea. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical coniferous forests, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotrop.

Buckelwal

Among the most acrobatic of the great whales, humpback whales are renowned for their complex, haunting songs sung by males during breeding season — some lasting hours and evolving over time. Reaching 16 meters and 30 tonnes, they undertake the longest migrations of any mammal. Found in all oceans, humpbacks feed on krill and small fish using cooperative bubble-net feeding. Populations have largely recovered from historic whaling.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela