Common Seal vs

Phoca vitulina compared with Vibrio cholerae

Key Differences

Common Seal is Near Threatened while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Seal
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Proteobacteria (Proteobacteria)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Gammaproteobacteria (Gammaproteobacteria)
Order	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)	Enterobacterales (Enterobacterales)
Family	Phocidae (True Seals)	Vibrionaceae
Genus	Phoca (Harbor Seals)	Vibrio
Species	Phoca vitulina	Vibrio cholerae

Conservation Status

Common Seal

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~500.0K

Trend: Stable →

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Seal
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.

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (10 countries), Asia (4 countries), Europe (6 countries), North America (Mexico), Oceania and the Pacific (Fiji), and South America (6 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.

Vibrio cholerae is a Gram-negative, comma-shaped, highly motile aquatic bacterium and the causative agent of pandemic cholera disease in humans. It inhabits coastal estuaries, river deltas, and warm marine environments, often associated with plankton, particularly copepods. This facultatively anaerobic bacterium spreads through contaminated water and food, causing severe watery diarrhea with major public health impact.