Green Sea Turtle vs large flying fox

Chelonia mydas compared with Pteropus vampyrus

Key Differences

• Green Sea Turtle is Endangered while large flying fox is Near Threatened.
• Green Sea Turtle is 181.8x heavier than large flying fox.
• Green Sea Turtle lives longer (80 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Green Sea Turtle	large flying fox
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)
Species	Chelonia mydas	Pteropus vampyrus

Evolutionary Relationship

Green Sea Turtle and large flying fox share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

large flying fox

NT — Near Threatened

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Green Sea Turtle	large flying fox
Diet	Herbivore	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	80 years	15 years
Average Length	1.2 m	30 cm
Average Weight	200.0 kg	1.1 kg

Habitat & Geographic 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.

large flying fox

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

Range

Distributed across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

large flying fox

The world's largest bat species, large flying foxes have wingspans reaching 1.5 meters and inhabit tropical forests from Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia. Despite the alarming name, they feed exclusively on fruit and nectar, making them vital pollinators and seed dispersers for tropical forest trees. Roost in massive colonies of thousands. Listed as Vulnerable due to hunting for bushmeat and habitat destruction.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇮🇩 Indonesia