1. Turtles have been around for over 200 million years—older than dinosaurs!
2. Not all turtles can retract their heads into their shells.
3. The largest turtle is the leatherback sea turtle, weighing up to 2,000 lbs!
4. Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica.
5. Some turtles can breathe through their butts—seriously! (It’s called cloacal respiration.)
6. The shell is part of their skeleton—it’s made of 50+ bones.
7. Sea turtles migrate thousands of miles between feeding and nesting grounds.
8. Turtles don’t have teeth—they have beaks!
9. The temperature of turtle eggs determines the baby’s sex.
10. Some turtles can live over 100 years.
11. Turtles have excellent night vision.
12. Not all turtles are slow—leatherbacks can swim up to 22 mph!
13. Tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises.
14. Turtle shells can heal themselves if damaged.
15. Green sea turtles are named for the color of their fat, not their shells.
16. Some turtles hibernate during winter (called brumation).
17. The oldest known tortoise lived to be 190 years old (Jonathan)!
18. Turtles can “talk” with each other using sounds we can’t hear.
19. Some turtles eat jellyfish, helping control their populations.
20. Female sea turtles return to the same beach where they were born to lay eggs.
21. Turtles can feel through their shells.
22. All tortoises are land-dwellers; turtles can be aquatic or semi-aquatic.
23. Turtles have a great sense of smell.
24. Baby turtles are called hatchlings.
25. Some freshwater turtles can absorb oxygen through their skin.
26. The scutes on a turtle’s shell are made of keratin, like our fingernails.
27. Turtles are found in myths and legends worldwide!
28. A group of turtles is called a “bale.”
29. Many turtles are endangered due to habitat loss and pollution.
30. Turtles have no external ears, but they can sense vibrations and low sounds.
Comments