Balkan Yam vs Green Sea Turtle

Dioscorea balcanica compared with Chelonia mydas

Key Differences

• Balkan Yam is Near Threatened while Green Sea Turtle is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Balkan Yam	Green Sea Turtle
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Dioscoreaceae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Dioscorea	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Dioscorea balcanica	Chelonia mydas

Conservation Status

Balkan Yam

NT — Near Threatened

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Balkan Yam	Green Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	80 years
Average Length	—	1.2 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Balkan Yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

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.

Balkan Yam

The Balkan Yam (Dioscorea balcanica) is a species in the genus Dioscorea. It is currently classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

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.