Leatherback Sea Turtle vs Short-tailed Hawk

Dermochelys coriacea compared with Buteo brachyurus

Key Differences

• Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable while Short-tailed Hawk is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Short-tailed Hawk
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Reptilia (Reptiles)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Accipitriformes (Hawks & Eagles)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Accipitridae (Hawks & Eagles)
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Buteo
Species	Dermochelys coriacea	Buteo brachyurus

Evolutionary Relationship

Leatherback Sea Turtle and Short-tailed Hawk share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Short-tailed Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Short-tailed Hawk
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.

Short-tailed Hawk

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and 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.

Short-tailed Hawk

Short-tailed Hawk (Buteo brachyurus) 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.