vs blue whale

Athelia bombacina compared with Balaenoptera musculus

Key Differences

is Data Deficient while blue whale is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		blue whale
Kingdom	Fungi (Fungi)	Animalia (hewan)
Phylum	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)	Mammalia (mamalia)
Order	Atheliales (Atheliales)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Atheliaceae	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)
Genus	Athelia	Balaenoptera (Rorquals)
Species	Athelia bombacina	Balaenoptera musculus

Conservation Status

DD — Data Deficient

blue whale

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~15.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		blue whale
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	90 years
Average Length	—	30.0 m
Average Weight	—	150.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Taiwan.

blue whale

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.

Athelia bombacina is a corticioid basidiomycete in the family Atheliaceae, producing thin, white resupinate fruitbodies on decaying wood and bark in forest habitats. It can act as a mycoparasite on other fungi and is known to produce enzymes that degrade fungal cell walls. Assessed as Data Deficient, its actual distribution and ecological role in European forests are not well characterized.

blue whale

The largest animal ever known to have lived on Earth, blue whales can reach 33 meters and 200 tonnes — their hearts alone weigh as much as a small car. Found in all oceans, they migrate between polar feeding grounds and tropical breeding areas. Filter feeders consuming up to 4 tonnes of krill daily. Endangered, with global populations estimated at 10,000–25,000 after near-extinction from 20th-century whaling.