Coastal stingaree vs Green Sea Turtle

Urolophus orarius compared with Chelonia mydas

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal stingaree	Green Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Tier)	Animalia (Tier)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordatiere)	Chordata (Chordatiere)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Reptilia (Reptilien)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Stechrochenartige)	Testudines (Schildkröten)
Family	Urolophidae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Urolophus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Urolophus orarius	Chelonia mydas

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal stingaree and Green Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordatiere)

Conservation Status

Coastal stingaree

EN — Endangered

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal stingaree	Green Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	80 years
Average Length	—	1.2 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal stingaree

Green 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 8 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Mexico. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Coastal stingaree

Coastal stingaree (Urolophus orarius) is a small batoid ray in the family Urolophidae, endemic to shallow coastal waters of southern Australia, particularly along the coasts of South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania. Like other stingarees, it has a rounded disc, a short tail armed with one or two venomous spines, and lacks a distinct rostrum. It inhabits sandy and muddy nearshore substrates in depths typically less than 30 metres, where it forages for polychaete worms, crustaceans, and small molluscs buried in the seabed. Females are ovoviviparous, giving birth to small litters of live young following internal development. Coastal stingaree is assessed as Endangered by the IUCN, driven by its restricted range, slow reproductive rate, and significant bycatch in inshore commercial and recreational fisheries operating across southern Australian coastal waters. Bottom trawling, prawn trawling, and gillnetting are identified as major threats. The species receives limited targeted conservation attention and is not currently the subject of specific fisheries management measures. Its small home range and coastal distribution make it especially vulnerable to localised fishery impacts.

Green Sea Turtle

The green sea turtle is one of the largest sea turtles. They are named for the green color of their cartilage and fat, not their shells.