Ballena azul vs body fluke

Balaenoptera musculus compared with Gyrodactylus elegans

Key Differences

• Ballena azul is Vulnerable while body fluke is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ballena azul	body fluke
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Platyhelminthes (Platyhelminthes)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Monogenea (Monogenea)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Gyrodactylidea (Gyrodactylidea)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Gyrodactylidae
Genus	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)	Gyrodactylus
Species	Balaenoptera musculus	Gyrodactylus elegans

Evolutionary Relationship

Ballena azul and body fluke share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Ballena azul

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~15.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

body fluke

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ballena azul	body fluke
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	90 years	—
Average Length	30.0 m	—
Average Weight	150.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ballena azul

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 (4 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

body fluke

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Mexico, Norway, and Sweden.

Ballena azul

El animal más grande que se conoce haya vivido en la Tierra; las ballenas azules pueden alcanzar 33 metros y 200 toneladas — sus corazones solos pesan tanto como un automóvil pequeño. Se encuentran en todos los océanos y migran entre las zonas de alimentación polares y las áreas de reproducción tropicales. Son filtradoras que consumen hasta 4 toneladas de kril al día. En peligro de extinción, con poblaciones globales estimadas entre 10.000 y 25.000 tras casi extinguirse por la caza de ballenas en el siglo XX.

body fluke

The body fluke (Gyrodactylus elegans) is a species in the genus Gyrodactylus. Distributed across Mexico, Norway, and Sweden.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden