Green Sea Turtle vs Manx Shearwater

Chelonia mydas compared with Puffinus puffinus

Key Differences

• Green Sea Turtle is Endangered while Manx Shearwater is Least Concern.
• Green Sea Turtle is herbivore while Manx Shearwater is carnivore.
• Green Sea Turtle is 444.4x heavier than Manx Shearwater.
• Green Sea Turtle lives longer (80 years vs 50 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Green Sea Turtle	Manx Shearwater
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Procellariiformes (Procellariiformes)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Procellariidae
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Puffinus
Species	Chelonia mydas	Puffinus puffinus

Evolutionary Relationship

Green Sea Turtle and Manx Shearwater share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Manx Shearwater

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Green Sea Turtle	Manx Shearwater
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	80 years	50 years
Average Length	1.2 m	35 cm
Average Weight	200.0 kg	450 g

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.

Manx Shearwater

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and South America (Colombia, Ecuador).

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.

Manx Shearwater

A medium-sized seabird of the North Atlantic and North Pacific, Manx shearwaters are renowned for their extraordinary navigation abilities. They travel up to 1 million kilometers over a lifetime, migrating annually between breeding colonies on North Atlantic islands and wintering grounds off South America. Their stiff-winged shearing flight just above wave surfaces is characteristic. One individual lived for over 55 years, one of the longest-lived wild birds recorded.