Green Sea Turtle vs Leatherback Sea Turtle

Chelonia mydas compared with Dermochelys coriacea

Key Differences

• Green Sea Turtle is Endangered while Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable.
• Green Sea Turtle is herbivore while Leatherback Sea Turtle is carnivore.
• Leatherback Sea Turtle is 2.5x heavier than Green Sea Turtle.
• Green Sea Turtle lives longer (80 years vs 50 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Green Sea Turtle	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Reptilia (reptil)	Reptilia (reptil)
Order same	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)
Family same	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus same	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Chelonia mydas	Dermochelys coriacea

Evolutionary Relationship

Green Sea Turtle and Leatherback Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Chelonia. (Green Sea Turtles)

Conservation Status

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Green Sea Turtle	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Diet	Herbivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	80 years	50 years
Average Length	1.2 m	2.0 m
Average Weight	200.0 kg	500.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

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.

Green Sea Turtle

La tortuga verde (Chelonia mydas) es una de las tortugas marinas más grandes. Su nombre proviene del color verde de su cartílago y grasa, no del caparazón.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

La tortuga laúd es la tortuga viva más grande y el cuarto reptil más pesado. A diferencia de otras tortugas, posee un caparazón blando y coriáceo.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇮🇩 Indonesia