Black-bellied Thorntail vs Buckelwal

Discosura langsdorffi compared with Megaptera novaeangliae

Key Differences

• Black-bellied Thorntail is Least Concern while Buckelwal is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-bellied Thorntail	Buckelwal
Kingdom same	Animalia (प्राणी)	Animalia (प्राणी)
Phylum same	Chordata (रज्जुकी)	Chordata (रज्जुकी)
Class	Aves (पक्षी)	Mammalia (स्तनधारी)
Order	Apodiformes (Apodiformes)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Trochilidae	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)
Genus	Discosura	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)
Species	Discosura langsdorffi	Megaptera novaeangliae

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-bellied Thorntail and Buckelwal share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (रज्जुकी)

Conservation Status

Black-bellied Thorntail

LC — Least Concern

Buckelwal

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-bellied Thorntail	Buckelwal
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	15.0 m
Average Weight	—	30.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-bellied Thorntail

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

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.

Black-bellied Thorntail

The Black-bellied Thorntail (Discosura langsdorffi) is a species in the genus Discosura. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela