How Do You Tell The Difference Between Turtles And Tortoises?
Most folks lump turtles and tortoises together under the vague category of “very slow reptiles that carry their houses on their backs.” However, there are some subtle differences between turtles and tortoises-and knowing them will make your life much easier when your curious grade-schooler asks you this question out of the blue. Turtles and tortoises belong to the same division of reptiles. Along with yet a third variant on the big-shell theme-terrapins-turtles and tortoises belong to a division of the reptile family called the “chelonians.” Thanks to the vagaries of taxonomy, all tortoises (which occupy their own sub-classification of chelonians) are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. Turtles live in an aquatic environment. The average turtle spends most of its life in oceans, lakes or rivers, and it has evolved adaptations that reflect this lifestyle (for example, webbed feet with which it can swim more easily and a streamlined body). Usually, turtles only venture onto dry l
