Nan sha shu teng vs Green Sea Turtle

Ipomoea littoralis compared with Chelonia mydas

Key Differences

Nan sha shu teng is Least Concern while Green Sea Turtle is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Nan sha shu teng	Green Sea Turtle
Kingdom	Plantae (植物)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (木兰植物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class	Magnoliopsida (木兰纲)	Reptilia (爬行纲)
Order	Solanales (茄目)	Testudines (龟鳖目)
Family	Convolvulaceae	Cheloniidae (Sea Turtles)
Genus	Ipomoea	Chelonia (Green Sea Turtles)
Species	Ipomoea littoralis	Chelonia mydas

Conservation Status

Nan sha shu teng

LC — Least Concern

Green Sea Turtle

EN — Endangered

Population: ~85.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Nan sha shu teng	Green Sea Turtle
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	80 years
Average Length	—	1.2 m
Average Weight	—	200.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Nan sha shu teng

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Oceanian biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Taiwan and Tonga.

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.

Nan sha shu teng

Ipomoea littoralis, the coastal morning glory, is a trailing or climbing herbaceous vine in the family Convolvulaceae native to tropical coastal habitats of the Indo-Pacific region, including Taiwan, Tonga, and other Pacific island groups. The species grows on sandy beaches, coastal foredunes, and rocky coastal margins exposed to salt spray and tropical sun, where it often forms extensive mats stabilizing loose substrate with its sprawling stems and deeply penetrating roots. Like other beach-dwelling Ipomoea species, it is adapted to intense sun, salt tolerance, and intermittent drought, producing large, waxy, dark green leaves that resist desiccation and salt accumulation. The funnel-shaped flowers, typical of the morning glory family, are pink to lavender in color and are pollinated by bees, butterflies, and other insects. Seeds are enclosed in hard, water-resistant capsules adapted for dispersal by ocean currents across island chains. The species is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Beach morning glories play an important stabilizing role in coastal dune ecosystems across the Pacific, binding loose sand with their runners and root systems and contributing to the early colonization of bare beach sand that eventually allows succession to more complex coastal vegetation.