Ballena jorobada vs Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

Megaptera novaeangliae compared with Manta birostris

Key Differences

• Ballena jorobada is Vulnerable while Giant Oceanic Manta Ray is Endangered.
• Ballena jorobada is carnivore while Giant Oceanic Manta Ray is omnivore.
• Ballena jorobada is 21.4x heavier than Giant Oceanic Manta Ray.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Ballena jorobada	Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)
Order	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Lamniformes (Mackerel Sharks)
Family	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)	Rhincodontidae (Whale Sharks)
Genus	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)	Rhincodon (Whale Sharks)
Species	Megaptera novaeangliae	Manta birostris

Evolutionary Relationship

Ballena jorobada and Giant Oceanic Manta Ray share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (cordados)

Conservation Status

Ballena jorobada

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

EN — Endangered

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Ballena jorobada	Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
Diet	Carnivore	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	50 years	50 years
Average Length	15.0 m	5.0 m
Average Weight	30.0 t	1.4 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.

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including flooded grasslands and savannas, mangrove forests and coastal wetlands, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, among 5 distinct biome types spanning the Afrotropic and Indomalayan and Neotropic realms.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Ecuador, Maldives, Mexico, and Mozambique. Currently classified as Endangered 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.

Giant Oceanic Manta Ray

La manta raya gigante oceánica (Manta birostris) es la especie de raya más grande, con una envergadura de hasta 7 metros. Son animales filtradores que se alimentan de plancton.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇪🇨 Ecuador