Cat shark vs Leatherback Sea Turtle

Scyliorhinus torrei compared with Dermochelys coriacea

Key Differences

• Cat shark is Least Concern while Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Cat shark	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Scyliorhinidae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Scyliorhinus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Scyliorhinus torrei	Dermochelys coriacea

Evolutionary Relationship

Cat shark and Leatherback Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Cat shark

LC — Least Concern

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Cat shark	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	2.0 m
Average Weight	—	500.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Cat shark

Habitat

Typically found in marine environments from coastal waters to deep ocean.

Leatherback 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 5 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan and Neotropic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Costa Rica, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Cat shark

The Cat shark (Scyliorhinus torrei) is a species in the genus Scyliorhinus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in marine environments from coastal waters to deep ocean.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

The leatherback is the largest living turtle and the fourth-heaviest reptile. Unlike other turtles, it has a soft, leathery shell.