Common Seal vs Straw Beard Lichen

Phoca vitulina compared with Usnea scabrata

Key Differences

Common Seal is Near Threatened while Straw Beard Lichen is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Seal	Straw Beard Lichen
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Chordata (cordados)	Ascomycota (Sac Fungi)
Class	Mammalia (mamíferos)	Lecanoromycetes (Lecanoromycetes)
Order	Pinnipedia (Seals & Sea Lions)	Lecanorales (Lecanorales)
Family	Phocidae (True Seals)	Parmeliaceae
Genus	Phoca (Harbor Seals)	Usnea
Species	Phoca vitulina	Usnea scabrata

Conservation Status

Common Seal

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~500.0K

Trend: Stable →

Straw Beard Lichen

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Seal	Straw Beard Lichen
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	30 years	—
Average Length	1.7 m	—
Average Weight	80.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Seal

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (7 countries) and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Straw Beard Lichen

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Norway, Portugal, and United States.

Common Seal

O pinípede de distribuição mais ampla, a foca-comum (Phoca vitulina) habita as costas temperadas e subárticas do Atlântico Norte e do Pacífico Norte. Os adultos atingem até 130 kg e passam tempo aproximadamente igual no mar caçando peixes, lulas e crustáceos e descansando em praias ou rochas. Seus grandes e expressivos olhos são adaptados para a visão subaquática em pouca luz. A foca-comum é uma fonte de alimento fundamental para orcas, tubarões e ursos-polares.