Komodo Dragon vs Leatherback Sea Turtle

Varanus komodoensis compared with Dermochelys coriacea

Key Differences

• Komodo Dragon is Endangered while Leatherback Sea Turtle is Vulnerable.
• Leatherback Sea Turtle is 7.1x heavier than Komodo Dragon.
• Leatherback Sea Turtle lives longer (50 years vs 30 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Komodo Dragon	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (cordados)	Chordata (cordados)
Class same	Reptilia (réptil)	Reptilia (réptil)
Order	Squamata (Escamados)	Testudines (Tartaruga)
Family	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Varanus komodoensis	Dermochelys coriacea

Evolutionary Relationship

Komodo Dragon and Leatherback Sea Turtle share a common ancestor at the Class level: Reptilia. (réptil)

Conservation Status

Komodo Dragon

EN — Endangered

Population: ~3.5K

Trend: Stable →

Leatherback Sea Turtle

VU — Vulnerable

Population: ~35.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Komodo Dragon	Leatherback Sea Turtle
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	30 years	50 years
Average Length	2.6 m	2.0 m
Average Weight	70.0 kg	500.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Komodo Dragon

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 4 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Indonesia. 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.

Komodo Dragon

O dragão-de-komodo é o maior lagarto vivo. É encontrado apenas em algumas ilhas indonésias.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

A tartaruga-de-couro é a maior tartaruga viva e o quarto réptil mais pesado. Ao contrário das demais tartarugas, possui uma carapaça mole e coriácea.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇮🇩 Indonesia