Leatherback Sea Turtle vs Raya vela

Dermochelys coriacea compared with Rajella lintea

Key Differences

Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable while Raya vela is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Raya vela
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Reptilia (reptil)	Elasmobranchii
Order	Testudines (Turtles & Tortoises)	Rajiformes (Rajiformes)
Family	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)	Rajidae
Genus	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)	Rajella
Species	Dermochelys coriacea	Rajella lintea

Evolutionary Relationship

Leatherback Sea Turtle and Raya vela share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (cordados)

Vista Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Raya vela

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Leatherback Sea Turtle	Raya vela
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.