Andrews’s Beaked Whale vs Buckelwal

Mesoplodon bowdoini compared with Megaptera novaeangliae

Key Differences

• Andrews’s Beaked Whale is Data Deficient while Buckelwal is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Andrews’s Beaked Whale	Buckelwal
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class same	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)
Order same	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Hyperoodontidae	Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)
Genus	Mesoplodon	Megaptera (Humpback Whales)
Species	Mesoplodon bowdoini	Megaptera novaeangliae

Evolutionary Relationship

Andrews’s Beaked Whale and Buckelwal share a common ancestor at the Order level: Cetacea. (Whales & Dolphins)

Conservation Status

Andrews’s Beaked Whale

DD — Data Deficient

Buckelwal

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~80.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Andrews’s Beaked Whale	Buckelwal
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	15.0 m
Average Weight	—	30.0 t

Habitat & Geographic Range

Andrews’s Beaked Whale

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.

Andrews’s Beaked Whale

The Andrews’s Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon bowdoini) is a species in the genus Mesoplodon. Its conservation status is listed as Data Deficient, indicating insufficient data for assessment. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.