Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo vs Green Sea Turtle

Hippopotamus amphibius compared with Chelonia mydas

Key Differences

• Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is Vulnerable while Green Sea Turtle is Endangered.
• Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo is 7.5x heavier than Green Sea Turtle.
• Green Sea Turtle lives longer (80 years vs 40 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Green Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Artiodactyla (Even-toed Ungulates)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Hippopotamidae (Hippos)	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Hippopotamus (Hippos)	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Hippopotamus amphibius	Chelonia mydas

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo and Green Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~130.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo	Green Sea Turtle
Diet	Herbivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	40 years	80 years
Average Length	3.5 m	1.2 m
Average Weight	1.5 t	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 5 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Kenya. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Common Hippopotamus, Hippopotamus, Large Hippo

Africa's most dangerous large mammal, common hippos can reach 3,200 kg and inhabit rivers, lakes, and wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa. Semi-aquatic, spending up to 16 hours daily submerged to keep cool, they graze on land at night. Despite appearing docile, hippos are extremely aggressive and territorial, responsible for hundreds of human fatalities annually. Vulnerable, with populations threatened by habitat loss and illegal hunting for ivory tusks.

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.