Turtle Facts
Turtles, terrapins, tortoises and sea turtles are all English terms used to describe what scientist call chelonian and are generally referred to as turtles.
All turtles are part of the class Reptilia and of the order Testudines. Thus their closest relative in the animal kingdom are snakes and lizards (order Squamata) and crocodile and alligators (order Crocodilia). The earliest known turtles date from 215 million years ago, making turtles one of the oldest members of this group of animals. There are about 300 species of turtles alive today, and some are highly endangered.
Turtles can be divided into seven main categories: sea turtles, side-neck turtles, soft shell turtles, pond and marsh turtles, mud and musk turtles, snapping turtles and tortoises (or land turtles).
Turtles that live in seasonal climates enter a dormant state in the winter. In this state, called torpor, the turtles stop feeding and their oxygen needs become very low. Aquatic turtles usually remain underwater in winter while land-living turtles burrow into the soil.
The turtle’s body is shielded by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs. The turtle cannot crawl out of its shell. The color of a turtle's shell may vary. Shells are commonly colored brown, black, or olive green. In some species, shells may have red, orange, yellow, or grey markings and these markings are often spots, lines, or irregular blotches. Turtles do not molt their shell all in one go, as snakes do their skin, but continuously, in small pieces.
Many species of turtles live in or around water. However some species live entirely on land. These turtles are sometimes called tortoises. Turtles are found in all the world's oceans except the Arctic Ocean and on all the continents except Antarctica.
The largest turtles are aquatic. The great leatherback sea turtle can reach a length of over six feet and weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. But some of the smallest species of turtles grow to only 3 inches in length and weight only 5 ounces.
Although many turtles spend large amounts of their lives underwater, all turtles breathe air, and must surface at regular intervals – usually every few minutes – to refill their lungs. However turtles can rest or sleep underwater for several hours
Most turtles are omnivores—animals that eat both plants and other animals. Turtles have a rigid beak, with jaws that are used to cut and chew food.
Turtles use their tongues to swallow food, but they cannot, unlike most reptiles, stick out their tongues to catch food.
Turtles lay eggs, like other reptiles, which are slightly soft and leathery.
Large numbers of eggs are deposited in holes dug into mud or sand. They are then covered and left to incubate by themselves. There are no known species in which the mother cares for the young.
Turtle’s organs do not gradually break down or become less efficient over time, unlike most other animals. This is perhaps why turtles can live for a very long time, normally about the same life span as humans. But some get very old. A turtle named Tu'i Malila was born in 1777 and died in 1965 at the age of 188. It was given to the royal family of Tonga by the famous English explorer Captain James Cook. It is the longest-lived animal according to authenticated records. Verification of the age of another tortoise, Adwaita, is still pending--it was said to have been born around 1750 and died in 2006 at the possible age of 256.
