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 (สัตว์)	Animalia (สัตว์)
Phylum same	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)	Chordata (สัตว์มีแกนสันหลัง)
Class same	Reptilia (สัตว์เลื้อยคลาน)	Reptilia (สัตว์เลื้อยคลาน)
Order same	Testudines (เต่า)	Testudines (เต่า)
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

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.

Leatherback Sea Turtle

The leatherback is the largest living turtle and the fourth-heaviest reptile. Unlike other turtles, it has a soft, leathery shell.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇷 Costa Rica 🇮🇩 Indonesia