Canada Cinquefoil vs Common Seal

Potentilla canadensis compared with Phoca vitulina

Key Differences

• Canada Cinquefoil is Not Evaluated while Common Seal is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Canada Cinquefoil	Common Seal
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Rosales (Roses & Allies)	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)
Family	Rosaceae (Rose Family)	Phocidae (True Seals)
Genus	Potentilla	Phoca (Harbor Seals)
Species	Potentilla canadensis	Phoca vitulina

Conservation Status

Canada Cinquefoil

NE — Not Evaluated

Common Seal

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~500.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Canada Cinquefoil

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Distributed across Canada and United States.

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.

Canada Cinquefoil

The Canada Cinquefoil (Potentilla canadensis) is a species in the genus Potentilla. Distributed across Canada and United States.

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 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States