Ballena jorobada vs Cobweb spider

Megaptera novaeangliae compared with Enoplognatha thoracica

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ballena jorobada	Cobweb spider
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Arthropoda (artrópodos)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Arachnida (arácnidos)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Araneae (araña)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Theridiidae
Genus	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)	Enoplognatha
Species	Megaptera novaeangliae	Enoplognatha thoracica

Evolutionary Relationship

Ballena jorobada and Cobweb spider share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Ballena jorobada

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Cobweb spider

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ballena jorobada	Cobweb spider
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	50 years	—
Average Length	15.0 m	—
Average Weight	30.0 t	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Ballena jorobada

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.

Cobweb spider

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial habitats from forests to deserts.

Range

Found across Europe (4 countries) and North America (Canada, United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Ballena jorobada

Entre las ballenas grandes más acrobáticas, las ballenas jorobadas son célebres por sus complejos y estremecedores cantos entonados por los machos durante la temporada reproductiva, que pueden durar horas y evolucionar con el tiempo. Alcanzando 16 metros y 30 toneladas, realizan las migraciones más largas de cualquier mamífero. Se encuentran en todos los océanos y se alimentan de krill y peces pequeños mediante la técnica cooperativa de pesca con red de burbujas.

Cobweb spider

Enoplognatha thoracica is a slender cobweb spider in the family Theridiidae, a widespread group of three-dimensional web-building spiders found across the temperate regions of Europe and North America. This small spider, typically measuring 3–5 millimeters in body length, constructs irregular, tangled cobwebs in low vegetation, hedgerows, meadow margins, and scrubby habitats where it captures small flying and crawling arthropods. The body is pale yellowish-brown to creamy white with darker markings on the abdomen, and the legs are long and slender relative to body size, adapted for navigating the three-dimensional structure of its web. Like other theridiids, Enoplognatha thoracica uses a gum-foot trap technique in which sticky vertical threads attached to the substrate at their lower ends snap insects upward when disturbed, immobilizing prey effectively. The species occupies a range spanning much of Europe eastward into temperate Asia and has established populations in parts of North America, likely through accidental human-mediated dispersal. Females produce egg sacs that are guarded within the web until hatching. The species is associated with disturbed and edge habitats and tolerates moderate agricultural landscapes. It is classified as Vulnerable by some assessments, reflecting localized population pressures from habitat loss and intensification of land use in parts of its range, though other evaluations consider it more broadly secure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden