Eastern Pondhawk vs Leatherback Sea Turtle

Erythemis simplicicollis compared with Dermochelys coriacea

Key Differences

• Eastern Pondhawk is Least Concern while Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Eastern Pondhawk	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Libellulidae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Erythemis	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Erythemis simplicicollis	Dermochelys coriacea

Evolutionary Relationship

Eastern Pondhawk and Leatherback Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

Conservation Status

Eastern Pondhawk

LC — Least Concern

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

Eastern Pondhawk

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Found in United States.

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.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

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