Sea turtles are one of the ancient species of reptiles which have been thriving on the planet since the time of dinosaurs, The fossils record of Sea turtles depicted that they have been living here for almost 220 million years. There are several species of sea turtles that can grow to a remarkable size which makes them the largest species of the turtle family. In this article, we are going to explore the detailed description of the world’s largest sea turtles.
Biggest Sea Turtles Ranked By Size
Sea turtles are of different sizes, some are small in size, that you might enjoy in your dinner whereas some can reach a remarkable size. They are ranked based on their size and are listed here:
| Specimen | Location | Features | Length | Weight |
| Leatherback Sea Turtle | Norway, Alaska, New Zealand, Africa | Dark greyish or black colored with white spots. | 10 feet or 3 meters | 916 kg or 2,019 pounds |
| Loggerhead Sea Turtle | Coast of North America, Africa, and Europe, Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, | Yellow to orange or reddish brown with large eyes and beak-like mouth | 213 cm or 84 inches | 545 kg or 1,202 pounds |
| Green Sea Turtle | Indo Pacific, Atlantic Ocean, Coast of Africa and Argentina, Caribbean Sea | Streamlined body, short neck and paddle like flippers, body have black and white edges | 153 cm or 60 inches | 500 kg or 1,100 pounds |
| Galapagos Tortoise | Galapagos Island, along the western coast of Ecuador | Matt brown armor, long head, neck, and limbs | 187 cm or 6.14 feet | 400 kg or 880 pounds |
| Aldabra Giant Tortoise | Changuu Island, Indian Ocean, Zanzibar | Dark greyish with a high dome, stocky legs covered with scales, massive body | 150 cm or 4.90 feet | 360 kg or 794 pounds |
| Alligator Snapping Turtle | South East coast of USA, Gulf of Mexico, Eastern Florida and Eastern Texas | Large head, greyish, black or olive-green coloration, strongest biting force | 81 cm or 2.66 feet | 183 kg or 403 pounds |
| Hawksbill Turtle | Indian, Atlantic and Pacific waters | Narrow elongated head, tapering and v-shaped body, yellow or black coloration | 95 cm | 86 kg |
| Olive Ridley Turtle | South Atlantic, Indian, Pacific Oceans, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka | Olive green colored heart shaped carapace, two pair of flippers and claws | 80 cm | 50 kg |
| Fringed Turtle | Brazil, South America, Peru | Large, triangular head, long and thin neck, pyramid shaped carapace. | 40 cm | 15 kg |
| Cayman Turtle | Canada, Eastern regions of United States | Greenish yellow coloration, powerful claws, flattened carapace | 35 cm | 30 kg |
Conclusion
Sea turtles are known to be one of the most ancient species of the open waters, which somewhat shares a history with the dinosaurs. Well, the species of sea turtles vary in length as well as size. Depending upon their size, the largest sea turtle is the Leatherback Sea turtle ever recorded, and descending, the smallest is the Cayman turtle. Commonly, all sea turtles are herbivores and feed on seagrasses as their primary source of food.
