Did You Know: Short, Sweet and Unusual Turtle Facts
How much do you really know about turtles? Whether you’re an expert on turtle facts, looking for a refresher course on turtle facts or just starting to get to know these creatures, below is an overview of turtle facts sure to satisfy your curiosity.

Turtle Facts

Turtles are part of the reptile family, which includes snakes, crocodiles, alligators and lizards. Like other reptiles, turtles are cold-blooded. This means that a turtle’s body temperature varies depending on the temperature of its surroundings.  And just like other reptiles, turtles can be found in every continent in the world, except for Antarctica.
A turtle’s shell is made up of the top portion, known as the carapace, the underside, known as the plastron, and the bridge, which connects the two sides. Both sides are covered with keratin-containing scale-like material, known as scutes. The scutes, which turtles are capable of regenerating, may be used in some cases to estimate a turtle’s age, not unlike the way rings in a tree can approximate a tree’s age.

Turtle Facts

The size and weight of a turtle’s shell is usually suited to its habitat, whether it’s a land-based turtle or an aquatic one. For instance, a land tortoise has a heavier shell used to deter predators, compared to an aquatic or soft-shelled turtle that needs a lighter shell for better buoyancy and faster swimming. There are some exceptions however, like the African pancake tortoise that has a flat shell that makes it useful for hiding under rocks.
Turtles have strong senses. They are able to see in colour, and their sense of hearing, smell and touch are equally good. The turtles’ sturdy jaws and hooked beak make up for the fact that they have no teeth.
Turtles are not actually capable of breathing underwater but they are able to hold their breath under water for certain amounts of time. Some of these aquatic turtles eat mostly plants while there are some that eat jellyfish. Generally, a turtle’s diet varies according to its species. One thing that is constant for all aquatic turtles is the fact that they can only eat while they are in water.

Turtle Facts

Both land and water turtles alike lay eggs on land. The incubation temperature of these eggs is said to determine if the hatchling will be male or female. The hatchling will make use of an egg tooth found on its beak to break open the egg.
Another way of grouping turtles aside from land-based and water-based is by how they draw their neck into their shell. Some, known as the Cryptodira, do it by lowering their neck under the spine, while others, known as side-neck turtles or Pleurodira, achieve it by folding their neck to the side.
One last addition to the above list of turtle facts: did you know that a group of turtles is known as a bale?
The world of turtles is a big one, filled with all sorts of details meant to fill many pages. The above is just a small sampler of turtle facts, but hopefully it has satisfied the turtle enthusiast in you.

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