Green Sea Turtle vs Ocean Sunfish

Chelonia mydas compared with Mola mola

Key Differences

• Green Sea Turtle is Endangered while Ocean Sunfish is Vulnerable.
• Green Sea Turtle is herbivore while Ocean Sunfish is omnivore.
• Ocean Sunfish is 5.0x heavier than Green Sea Turtle.
• Green Sea Turtle lives longer (80 years vs 10 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Green Sea Turtle	Ocean Sunfish
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fish)
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Perciformes (Perch-like Fish)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Scombridae (Tunas & Mackerels)
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Thunnus (Tunas)
Species	Chelonia mydas	Mola mola

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Ocean Sunfish

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Green Sea Turtle	Ocean Sunfish
Diet	Herbivore	Omnivore
Average Lifespan	80 years	10 years
Average Length	1.2 m	2.7 m
Average Weight	200.0 kg	1.0 t

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.

Ocean Sunfish

Habitat

Typically found in a wide range of habitat types.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Japan, South Africa, and United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Ocean Sunfish

The ocean sunfish is the heaviest known bony fish in the world, weighing up to 2,300 kg.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia