Buckelwal vs Noble Fettspinne

Megaptera novaeangliae compared with Steatoda nobilis

Key Differences

• Buckelwal is Vulnerable while Noble Fettspinne is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Buckelwal	Noble Fettspinne
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Arthropoda (Gliederfüßer)
Class	Mammalia (Säugetiere)	Arachnida (Spinnentiere)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Araneae (Webspinnen)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Theridiidae
Genus	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)	Steatoda
Species	Megaptera novaeangliae	Steatoda nobilis

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Buckelwal

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Noble Fettspinne

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Buckelwal	Noble Fettspinne
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	50 years	—
Average Length	15.0 m	—
Average Weight	30.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Noble Fettspinne

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Ecuador).

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.

Noble Fettspinne

The noble false widow (Steatoda nobilis) is a theridiid spider that has attracted considerable media attention in the British Isles and along the Atlantic coast of Europe due to its painful but rarely dangerous bite and its rapid range expansion facilitated by human activity. Originally native to the Canary Islands and Madeira, the species arrived in southern England during the 19th century, likely via banana shipments, and has since spread northward through Britain and westward into Ireland, while also establishing populations along the Iberian Peninsula and Atlantic France. Females are robust, with a dark brown carapace and a distinctive cream-colored pattern on the bulbous abdomen that varies between individuals; females reach 8.5–14 millimeters in body length, making this one of the larger European theridiids. The species constructs persistent, tangled cobwebs in sheltered locations outside buildings—under window ledges, in door frames, and in garden walls—as well as within homes in cooler seasons. It is a generalist predator, capturing insects and other invertebrates, and has been reported to occasionally subdue prey considerably larger than itself, including small lizards. Steatoda nobilis venom produces steatodism, which can cause localized pain, swelling, and in rare cases systemic symptoms. Its conservation status has not been formally assessed, but its expanding range demonstrates considerable resilience.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇵🇹 Portugal