Arctic/Pacific Loon vs Green Sea Turtle

Gavia arctica compared with Chelonia mydas

Key Differences

• Arctic/Pacific Loon is Least Concern while Green Sea Turtle is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Arctic/Pacific Loon	Green Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Gaviiformes (Gaviiformes)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Gaviidae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Gavia	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Gavia arctica	Chelonia mydas

Evolutionary Relationship

Arctic/Pacific Loon and Green Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Arctic/Pacific Loon

LC — Least Concern

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Arctic/Pacific Loon	Green Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	80 years
Average Length	—	1.2 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Arctic/Pacific Loon

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and Sweden.

Green Sea Turtle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Mexico. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Arctic/Pacific Loon

The Arctic/Pacific Loon (Gavia arctica) is a species in the genus Gavia. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Green Sea Turtle

The green sea turtle is one of the largest sea turtles. They are named for the green color of their cartilage and fat, not their shells.