Hooded seal vs Yellow Map Lichen

Cystophora cristata compared with Rhizocarpon geographicum

Key Differences

• Hooded seal is Endangered while Yellow Map Lichen is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hooded seal	Yellow Map Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)	Rhizocarpales (Rhizocarpales)
Family	Phocidae (True Seals)	Rhizocarpaceae
Genus	Cystophora	Rhizocarpon
Species	Cystophora cristata	Rhizocarpon geographicum

Conservation Status

Hooded seal

EN — Endangered

Yellow Map Lichen

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hooded seal	Yellow Map 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.

Yellow Map Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia).

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal