World Turtle Day 2023: Turtles comfortably live up to 50 years or more. In the wild, box turtles live for around 30 years. Scroll down to find out more.
World Turtle Day 2023: The occasion of World Turtle Day is celebrated to raise awareness of this species and help them understand its importance in biological diversity. This special day was started by the non-profit American Turtle Rescue Organization in the year 2000. The occasion is marked to raise awareness of the need to protect turtles and their nesting sites around the world. As this special occasion is here, we bring you a list of some amazing facts about turtles that you may not know.
Amazing facts about turtles
1. There are about 356 species of turtles in the world. Some popular species include hawksbills, leatherbacks, flatbacks, loggerheads, red-eared sliders, western painted turtles, and African side-necked turtles, among others.
2. Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines. All turtles have their bodies encased in bony shells. The upper shell is called the carapace, and the lower shell is called the plastron. Bony shells develop from their ribs and backbone.
3. A turtle can’t get out of its shell, ever. The turtle’s shell is made of bones and cartilage that are an integral part of its body.
4. Some turtles can retract their limbs and crawl into their shell when facing danger.
5. Tortoises are primarily omnivorous, but some species, such as tortoises, are predominantly herbivorous.
6. Turtles have no teeth, but loggerheads and alligators have powerful jaws that allow them to feed on fish, shellfish, mollusks, and lobsters.
7. Turtles live comfortably up to 50 years or more. In the wild, box turtles live for around 30 years.
8. Some sea turtles do not reach sexual maturity until they are 50 years old and often live 70 years or more.
9. Tortoises vary significantly in size, ranging from 2 to 7 feet and weighing from 70 to over 1,500 pounds.
10. The largest turtle in history lived more than 100 million years ago. We called it the Archelon, it was 21 feet long.
11. Turtles can dive long distances, up to 3,000 feet, in search of jellyfish. Turtles come to the surface of the water for air between long dives to find food.
Categories: Lifestyle News
Source: vtt.edu.vn