gray wolf vs Great White Pelican

Canis lupus compared with Pelecanus onocrotalus

Key Differences

• gray wolf is Critically Endangered while Great White Pelican is Not Evaluated.
• gray wolf is 4.5x heavier than Great White Pelican.
• Great White Pelican lives longer (30 years vs 13 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	gray wolf	Great White Pelican
Kingdom same	Animalia (hewan)	Animalia (hewan)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (mamalia)	Aves (burung)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Pelecaniformes (Pelecaniformes)
Family	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)	Pelecanidae
Genus	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)	Pelecanus
Species	Canis lupus	Pelecanus onocrotalus

Evolutionary Relationship

gray wolf and Great White Pelican share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Great White Pelican

NE — Not Evaluated

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	gray wolf	Great White Pelican
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	13 years	30 years
Average Length	1.6 m	1.6 m
Average Weight	45.0 kg	10.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Great White Pelican

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (9 countries).

gray wolf

The most widely distributed wild canid, gray wolves range from North America across Eurasia in diverse habitats including tundra, forests, and grasslands. Highly social animals living in family packs led by a dominant breeding pair. As keystone predators, wolves regulate prey populations and profoundly shape ecosystem structure, as demonstrated by their reintroduction in Yellowstone. Once heavily persecuted, populations are recovering in many regions.

Great White Pelican

One of the world's largest pelicans, great white pelicans have wingspans reaching 3.6 meters and inhabit shallow lakes and wetlands across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Social birds breeding in large colonies and foraging cooperatively — groups of pelicans corral fish into shallow water before scooping them in their expandable throat pouches. Their pouches can hold up to 13 liters of water. Listed as Least Concern globally with stable populations.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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