Circular Ear Shell vs Leatherback Sea Turtle

Haliotis cyclobates compared with Dermochelys coriacea

Key Differences

• Circular Ear Shell is Least Concern while Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Circular Ear Shell	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Gastropoda (Gastropoda)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Lepetellida (Lepetellida)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Haliotidae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Haliotis	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Haliotis cyclobates	Dermochelys coriacea

Evolutionary Relationship

Circular Ear Shell and Leatherback Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Circular Ear Shell

LC — Least Concern

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Circular Ear Shell	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	2.0 m
Average Weight	—	500.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Circular Ear Shell

Habitat

Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

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.

Circular Ear Shell

The Circular Ear Shell (Haliotis cyclobates) is a species in the genus Haliotis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats including forests and freshwater.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

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