Green Sea Turtle vs Water yam

Chelonia mydas compared with Dioscorea alata

Key Differences

• Green Sea Turtle is Endangered while Water yam is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Green Sea Turtle	Water yam
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Dioscoreales (Dioscoreales)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Dioscoreaceae
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Dioscorea
Species	Chelonia mydas	Dioscorea alata

Conservation Status

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Water yam

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Green Sea Turtle	Water yam
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.

Water yam

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (16 countries), Asia (Maldives, Taiwan), Europe (United Kingdom), North America (13 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (4 countries), and South America (6 countries).

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇦🇺 Australia 🇧🇷 Brazil 🇨🇷 Costa Rica