Blue whale vs Common bottlenose dolphin
They share the order Cetacea but sit in different families: Blue whale in Balaenopteridae, Common bottlenose dolphin in Delphinidae.
Photo: NOAA Photo Library · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Photo: NASA · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
What is the difference between a blue whale and a common bottlenose dolphin?
Each point below is worked out from a pair of recorded values.
- They share the order Cetacea but sit in different families: Blue whale in Balaenopteridae, Common bottlenose dolphin in Delphinidae.
- The blue whale is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List; the common bottlenose dolphin is Least Concern.
- They have been recorded in 45 of the same countries (the blue whale in 57 in total, the common bottlenose dolphin in 121). Shared records include zoos, so this does not mean they meet in the wild.
Side by side
| Blue whale | Common bottlenose dolphin | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Balaenoptera musculus | Tursiops truncatus |
| Family | Balaenopteridae | Delphinidae |
| Order | Cetacea | Cetacea |
| Weight | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Length | 27.1 m | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Main food | Euphausiacea | Not recorded |
| Habitat | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Conservation status | Endangered | Least Concern |
| Countries recorded | 57 | 121 |
Full record: Blue whaleFull record: Common bottlenose dolphinCompare other animals