Hooded seal vs Royal Tern

Cystophora cristata compared with Thalasseus maximus

Key Differences

• Hooded seal is Endangered while Royal Tern is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hooded seal	Royal Tern
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)	Charadriiformes (Charadriiformes)
Family	Phocidae (True Seals)	Laridae
Genus	Cystophora	Thalasseus
Species	Cystophora cristata	Thalasseus maximus

Evolutionary Relationship

Hooded seal and Royal Tern share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Hooded seal

EN — Endangered

Royal Tern

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hooded seal	Royal Tern
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.

Royal Tern

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, Sweden, and Venezuela.

Royal Tern

Royal Tern (Thalasseus 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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway