Common Seal vs 'Ihi

Phoca vitulina compared with Oxalis corniculata

Key Differences

Common Seal is Near Threatened while 'Ihi is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Seal	'Ihi
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)	Oxalidales (Oxalidales)
Family	Phocidae (True Seals)	Oxalidaceae
Genus	Phoca (Harbor Seals)	Oxalis
Species	Phoca vitulina	Oxalis corniculata

Conservation Status

Common Seal

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~500.0K

Trend: Stable →

'Ihi

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

'Ihi

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and deserts and xeric shrublands, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (18 countries), Asia (17 countries), Europe (30 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (11 countries), and South America (7 countries).

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.