Coelacanth vs Leatherback Sea Turtle

Latimeria chalumnae compared with Dermochelys coriacea

Key Differences

• Coelacanth is Critically Endangered while Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable.
• Leatherback Sea Turtle is 6.2x heavier than Coelacanth.
• Coelacanth lives longer (100 years vs 50 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coelacanth	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Coelacanthi (Coelacanthi)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Coelacanthiformes (Coelacanthiformes)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Latimeriidae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Latimeria	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Latimeria chalumnae	Dermochelys coriacea

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Coelacanth

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~500

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coelacanth	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	100 years	50 years
Average Length	1.8 m	2.0 m
Average Weight	80.0 kg	500.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coelacanth

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 spanning the Australasia and Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Comoros, Indonesia, Mozambique, and South Africa. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Coelacanth

A living fossil thought extinct for 65 million years until rediscovered off South Africa in 1938, coelacanths can reach 2 meters and 90 kg. They belong to an ancient lobe-finned lineage more closely related to tetrapods than to ray-finned fish, making them scientifically invaluable for understanding vertebrate evolution. Found in deep rocky reef habitats of the Indian Ocean, they are nocturnal and undergo internal fertilization, giving birth to fully formed live young. Critically Endangered.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇮🇩 Indonesia