Common Eider vs Northern elephant seal

Somateria mollissima compared with Mirounga angustirostris

Key Differences

• Common Eider is Near Threatened while Northern elephant seal is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Eider	Northern elephant seal
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)
Family	Anatidae	Phocidae (True Seals)
Genus	Somateria	Mirounga
Species	Somateria mollissima	Mirounga angustirostris

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Eider and Northern elephant seal share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Common Eider

NT — Near Threatened

Northern elephant seal

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Eider	Northern elephant seal
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Eider

Habitat

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

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Northern elephant seal

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Common Eider

Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.