Leatherback Sea Turtle vs Rough-faced shag

Dermochelys coriacea compared with Leucocarbo carunculatus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Rough-faced shag
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Suliformes (Suliformes)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Phalacrocoracidae
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Leucocarbo
Species	Dermochelys coriacea	Leucocarbo carunculatus

Evolutionary Relationship

Leatherback Sea Turtle and Rough-faced shag share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Rough-faced shag

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Rough-faced shag
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.

Rough-faced shag

Habitat

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

Leatherback Sea Turtle

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