Ballena de aleta vs Delfín tonina

Balaenoptera physalus compared with Tursiops truncatus

Key Differences

• Ballena de aleta is Endangered while Delfín tonina is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ballena de aleta	Delfín tonina
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Mammalia (mamíferos)
Order same	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)
Genus	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)	Tursiops (Bottlenose Dolphins)
Species	Balaenoptera physalus	Tursiops truncatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Ballena de aleta and Delfín tonina share a common ancestor at the Order level: Cetacea. (Whales & Dolphins)

Conservation Status

Ballena de aleta

EN — Endangered

Delfín tonina

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~600.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ballena de aleta	Delfín tonina
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	45 years
Average Length	—	3.0 m
Average Weight	—	300.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ballena de aleta

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

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

Delfín tonina

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Ballena de aleta

La ballena de aleta (Balaenoptera physalus) está clasificada como En Peligro (EN) en la Lista Roja de la UICN. Presenta un alto riesgo de extinción en estado silvestre, con un significativo declive poblacional y amenazas continuas a su supervivencia.

Delfín tonina

La especie de delfín más estudiada y reconocida, los delfines mulares habitan océanos cálidos y templados de todo el mundo, desde las aguas costeras poco profundas hasta el mar abierto. Altamente inteligentes con grandes cerebros en relación con el tamaño corporal, demuestran autoreconocimiento, comunicación compleja y aprendizaje social. Viven en sociedades fluidas de fisión-fusión y cooperan para arrear peces. Una especie indicadora clave de la salud del ecosistema marino.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 9 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇨🇴 Colombia 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇻🇪 Venezuela