Cobra Clubtail vs Tiger

Gomphurus vastus compared with Panthera tigris

Key Differences

• Cobra Clubtail is Least Concern while Tiger is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cobra Clubtail	Tiger
Kingdom same	Animalia (動物)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Arthropoda (節足動物)	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Insecta (昆虫)	Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order	Odonata (蜻蛉目)	Carnivora (ネコ目)
Family	Gomphidae	Felidae (Cats)
Genus	Gomphurus	Panthera (Big Cats)
Species	Gomphurus vastus	Panthera tigris

Evolutionary Relationship

Cobra Clubtail and Tiger share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (動物)

Conservation Status

Cobra Clubtail

LC — Least Concern

Tiger

EN — Endangered

Population: ~4.5K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cobra Clubtail	Tiger
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	20 years
Average Length	—	3.0 m
Average Weight	—	220.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cobra Clubtail

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

Tiger

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 6 distinct biome types spanning the Neotropic and Oceanian realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cobra Clubtail

The cobra clubtail (Gomphurus vastus) is a large, robust dragonfly belonging to the family Gomphidae, distinguished by the characteristic club-shaped expansion at the terminal segments of the male's abdomen—a feature that lends the entire clubtail family its common name. This species is one of the largest gomphids in eastern North America, with a body length typically reaching 60–75 millimeters. Males display striking yellow and black patterning along the abdomen, with the club markings particularly vivid during territorial displays. Cobra clubtails inhabit large, clean rivers with moderate to swift currents and sandy or gravelly substrates, where larvae burrow into the riverbed during their multi-year aquatic development. The species is distributed across the eastern United States, with strongholds in river systems draining the Appalachian foothills and the Midwest, including portions of the Ohio, Tennessee, and Mississippi River drainages. Adults are strong fliers that perch on rocks and logs near the water's edge, making short forays to catch flying insect prey in mid-air. Mating occurs in flight over the river, and females deposit eggs directly into the water by tapping the abdomen on the surface. The cobra clubtail is sensitive to water quality degradation and siltation, serving as a bioindicator of river health. It is listed as Least Concern given its relatively broad distribution across river systems with adequate habitat quality.

Tiger

地球上最大の野生ネコ科動物で、体重が300kgを超えることもあり、ロシア極東から東南アジアにかけての森林に生息する。まだら光の中で擬態効果を持つ独特のオレンジと黒の縞模様の毛皮を持つ単独待ち伏せ型捕食者である。密猟と森林破壊により野生個体数が4,000頭未満に減少した深刻な危機（CR）種である。