Hooded seal vs Red Beard Lichen

Cystophora cristata compared with Usnea rubicunda

Key Differences

• Hooded seal is Endangered while Red Beard Lichen is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hooded seal	Red Beard Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family	Phocidae (True Seals)	Parmeliaceae
Genus	Cystophora	Usnea
Species	Cystophora cristata	Usnea rubicunda

Conservation Status

Hooded seal

EN — Endangered

Red Beard Lichen

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hooded seal	Red Beard Lichen
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hooded seal

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

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

Red Beard Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (Norway, Portugal, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal