Leatherback Sea Turtle vs Lesser Scaup

Dermochelys coriacea compared with Aythya affinis

Key Differences

Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable while Lesser Scaup is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Lesser Scaup
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Anatidae
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Aythya
Species	Dermochelys coriacea	Aythya affinis

Evolutionary Relationship

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

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Lesser Scaup

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

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

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Lesser Scaup

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Leatherback Sea Turtle

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

Lesser Scaup

Lesser Scaup (Aythya affinis) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.