Galapagos fur seal vs St. James' shell

Arctocephalus galapagoensis compared with Pecten maximus

Key Differences

• Galapagos fur seal is Endangered while St. James' shell is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Galapagos fur seal	St. James' shell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Pectinida (Pectinida)
Family	Otariidae	Pectinidae
Genus	Arctocephalus	Pecten
Species	Arctocephalus galapagoensis	Pecten maximus

Evolutionary Relationship

Galapagos fur seal and St. James' shell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Galapagos fur seal

EN — Endangered

St. James' shell

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Galapagos fur seal	St. James' shell
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Galapagos fur seal

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 4 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

St. James' shell

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China), Europe (8 countries), and South America (Chile).

St. James' shell

St. James' shell (Pecten maximus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.