Why make this page?
I have decided to create this page to inform the world about the amazing
world of turtles and tortoises and what the difference between them.
Whats included?
A list of all the types of turtles, tortoises, sea turtles and info
about them. their anatomy and a care guide. Turtle vs. Tortoise:
Tortoises and turtles are both reptiles from the order of Testudines,
but in different classification families. The major difference
between the two is that tortoises dwell on land, while turtles live in the
water some or nearly all of the time. A turtle has flipper like feet and
a tortoise has trunk like legs.
keywords and other cool
facts:
reptile glossary
What’s the difference between TURTLES & TORTOISES?
Although they appear to be very similar, there are a number of important
differences, which set them apart.
Turtles
Spend most of their lives in the water and have webbed feet for
swimming. Sea turtles for instance almost never leave the ocean, except
to come ashore to lay eggs. Other turtles live in fresh water ponds and
lakes. They swim, but they also spend a considerable amount of time on
shore banks or rocks to bask in the sun. In cold weather, they may
burrow in the mud, where they go into torpor (a state of decreased
physiological activity in an animal, including a usually reduced body
temperature and metabolic rate) until spring and warmer weather returns.
One species, the Eastern Painted Turtle from North America holds the
record in the animal kingdom for holding it's breath. While hibernating
under the ice in winter, this turtle may not take another breath for six
months!!! It does this by absorbing oxygen from the water through tiny
blood vessels in it's throat and Cloaca (the opening, or vent at the
base of the tail).
Tortoises
These
animals cannot swim, they are land-dwellers that eat shrubs, grasses,
and cactus. Tortoises do not have webbed feet, instead their feet are
round and stumpy for walking on land. Tortoises living in hot, dry
habitats use their strong front legs to dig burrows. Then, when it’s too
hot in the sun, they can cool off underground.
There is also
another shelled species known as the Terrapin These animals split time
both on land and in water, and always live in areas near water, like
rivers, ponds, and lakes. Terrapins are often found in brackish, swampy
areas.