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 (동물)	Animalia (동물)
Phylum same	Chordata (척삭동물)	Chordata (척삭동물)
Class same	Reptilia (파충류)	Reptilia (파충류)
Order same	Testudines (거북)	Testudines (거북)
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

초록바다거북은 가장 큰 바다거북 중 하나입니다. 등딱지가 아닌 연골과 지방의 녹색에서 이름이 유래했습니다.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

장수거북은 현존하는 가장 큰 거북이자 네 번째로 무거운 파충류입니다. 다른 거북과 달리 딱딱한 등갑이 없고 부드럽고 가죽 같은 껍질을 가집니다.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇮🇩 Indonesia