large flying fox vs Leatherback Sea Turtle

Pteropus vampyrus compared with Dermochelys coriacea

Key Differences

• large flying fox is Near Threatened while Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable.
• large flying fox is herbivore while Leatherback Sea Turtle is carnivore.
• Leatherback Sea Turtle is 454.5x heavier than large flying fox.
• Leatherback Sea Turtle lives longer (50 years vs 15 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	large flying fox	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Reptilia (Reptiles)
Order	Chiroptera (Bats)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Pteropus vampyrus	Dermochelys coriacea

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

large flying fox

NT — Near Threatened

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	large flying fox	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	15 years	50 years
Average Length	30 cm	2.0 m
Average Weight	1.1 kg	500.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

large flying fox

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

Range

Distributed across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

large flying fox

The world's largest bat species, large flying foxes have wingspans reaching 1.5 meters and inhabit tropical forests from Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia. Despite the alarming name, they feed exclusively on fruit and nectar, making them vital pollinators and seed dispersers for tropical forest trees. Roost in massive colonies of thousands. Listed as Vulnerable due to hunting for bushmeat and habitat destruction.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

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

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇮🇩 Indonesia 🇲🇾 Malaysia