Galapagos sea lion vs Northern elephant seal

Zalophus wollebaeki compared with Mirounga angustirostris

Key Differences

• Galapagos sea lion is Endangered while Northern elephant seal is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Galapagos sea lion	Northern elephant seal
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Carnivora (Carnivorans)	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)
Family	Otariidae	Phocidae (True Seals)
Genus	Zalophus	Mirounga
Species	Zalophus wollebaeki	Mirounga angustirostris

Evolutionary Relationship

Galapagos sea lion and Northern elephant seal share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Galapagos sea lion

EN — Endangered

Northern elephant seal

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Galapagos sea lion	Northern elephant seal
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Galapagos sea lion

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and deserts and xeric shrublands 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.

Northern elephant seal

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.