Leatherback Sea Turtle vs Mallard

Dermochelys coriacea compared with Anas platyrhynchos

Key Differences

• Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable while Mallard is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Mallard
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)	Anas
Species	Dermochelys coriacea	Anas platyrhynchos

Evolutionary Relationship

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

Conservation Status

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Mallard

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Mallard
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.

Mallard

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests and deserts and xeric shrublands spanning the Afrotropic and Indomalayan realms.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (5 countries), Asia (Bhutan, Nepal), Europe (7 countries), North America (Barbados, El Salvador, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (4 countries).

Leatherback Sea Turtle

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

Mallard

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 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.