Black-tailed Skimmer vs common bottlenose dolphin

Orthetrum cancellatum compared with Tursiops truncatus

Key Differences

• Black-tailed Skimmer is Vulnerable while common bottlenose dolphin is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-tailed Skimmer	common bottlenose dolphin
Kingdom same	Animalia (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum	Arthropoda (สัตว์ขาปล้อง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class	Insecta (แมลง)	Mammalia (สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยน้ำนม)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Cetacea (Whales & Dolphins)
Family	Libellulidae	Delphinidae (Oceanic Dolphins)
Genus	Orthetrum	Tursiops (Bottlenose Dolphins)
Species	Orthetrum cancellatum	Tursiops truncatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Black-tailed Skimmer and common bottlenose dolphin share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (สัตว์)

Conservation Status

Black-tailed Skimmer

VU — Vulnerable

common bottlenose dolphin

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~600.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-tailed Skimmer	common bottlenose dolphin
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	45 years
Average Length	—	3.0 m
Average Weight	—	300.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-tailed Skimmer

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

common bottlenose dolphin

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 12 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Black-tailed Skimmer

Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

common bottlenose dolphin

The most studied and recognized dolphin species, bottlenose dolphins inhabit warm and temperate oceans worldwide, from coastal shallows to the open sea. Highly intelligent with large brains relative to body size, they demonstrate self-recognition, complex communication, and social learning. They live in fluid fission-fusion societies and cooperate to herd fish. A keystone indicator species for marine ecosystem health.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

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