African Openbill vs Common Seal

Anastomus lamelligerus compared with Phoca vitulina

Key Differences

• African Openbill is Least Concern while Common Seal is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	African Openbill	Common Seal
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Ciconiiformes (Ciconiiformes)	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)
Family	Ciconiidae	Phocidae (True Seals)
Genus	Anastomus	Phoca (Harbor Seals)
Species	Anastomus lamelligerus	Phoca vitulina

Evolutionary Relationship

African Openbill and Common Seal share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

African Openbill

LC — Least Concern

Common Seal

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~500.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	African Openbill	Common Seal
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	30 years
Average Length	—	1.7 m
Average Weight	—	80.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

African Openbill

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Germany, and Norway.

Common Seal

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

African Openbill

The African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus) is a species in the genus Anastomus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Common Seal

The most widely distributed pinniped, harbor seals inhabit temperate and subarctic coastal waters of both the North Atlantic and North Pacific. Adults reach up to 130 kg and spend roughly equal time at sea hunting fish, squid, and crustaceans and hauling out on beaches or rocks to rest. Their large, expressive eyes are adapted for underwater vision in low light. Harbor seals are a critical food source for orcas, sharks, and polar bears.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway