Leatherback Sea Turtle vs

Dermochelys coriacea compared with Luteimonas mephitis

Key Differences

Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Proteobacteria (Proteobacteria)
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Gammaproteobacteria (Gammaproteobacteria)
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Xanthomonadales (Xanthomonadales)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Xanthomonadaceae
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Luteimonas
Species	Dermochelys coriacea	Luteimonas mephitis

Conservation Status

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Leatherback Sea Turtle
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.

Habitat

Native to Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

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

Luteimonas mephitis is a Gram-negative, yellow-pigmented bacterium isolated from soil environments with an unpleasant odor, referenced in its species name meaning stench. It inhabits organic-rich soils and sediments. This aerobic chemoheterotroph participates in the breakdown of sulfur-containing and other malodorous organic compounds.