Hammerhead vs Leatherback Sea Turtle

Sphyrna corona compared with Dermochelys coriacea

Key Differences

• Hammerhead is Critically Endangered while Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Hammerhead	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Chondrichthyes (Cartilaginous Fish)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Carcharhiniformes (Ground Sharks)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Sphyrnidae (Hammerhead Sharks)	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Sphyrna (Hammerhead Sharks)	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Sphyrna corona	Dermochelys coriacea

Evolutionary Relationship

Hammerhead and Leatherback Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Hammerhead

CR — Critically Endangered

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Hammerhead	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	50 years
Average Length	—	2.0 m
Average Weight	—	500.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Hammerhead

Habitat

Typically found in marine environments from coastal waters to deep ocean.

Leatherback 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 5 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan and Neotropic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Costa Rica, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

The leatherback is the largest living turtle and the fourth-heaviest reptile. Unlike other turtles, it has a soft, leathery shell.