Green Sea Turtle vs Vine Ephedra

Chelonia mydas compared with Ephedra pedunculata

Key Differences

• Green Sea Turtle is Endangered while Vine Ephedra is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Green Sea Turtle	Vine Ephedra
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Tracheophyta
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Gnetopsida (Gnetopsida)
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Ephedrales (Ephedrales)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Ephedraceae
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Ephedra
Species	Chelonia mydas	Ephedra pedunculata

Conservation Status

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Vine Ephedra

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Green Sea Turtle	Vine Ephedra
Diet	Herbivore	—
Average Lifespan	80 years	—
Average Length	1.2 m	—
Average Weight	200.0 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.

Vine Ephedra

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.