20 Incredible Tortoise Facts: Appearance, Habitat, Diet & More
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With their domed shells and long lifespan, tortoises are fascinating animals. That said, there’s more to them than their slow, crawling stride and love of leafy greens. They are intelligent and ancient, and they even inspired the Roman military.
Whether you’re planning on owning a tortoise of your own or simply want to know more about these intriguing reptiles, here are 19 facts that prove how incredible these animals are.
Top 20 Incredible Tortoise Facts
1. Tortoises Are Turtles
Despite their differences, tortoises are turtles. However, it’s important to remember that not all turtles are tortoises. Their similarities make it incredibly easy to get the two confused, but recognizing the differences will help you tell them apart.
The biggest factor in determining whether they’re a tortoise or a turtle is how much time they spend on land. Tortoises, or terrestrial turtles, will spend nearly all their time on land, while turtles will spend most of their time in the water. The tortoise also has a round, domed shell and club-like, flat-footed legs. In comparison, turtles have flat shells and flippers or webbed feet so they can swim in water easily.
2. Tortoises Can’t Swim
Although they are technically turtles, tortoises should never have access to deep water. Neither domestic nor wild tortoises can swim. Their weight, shell shape, and legs simply don’t give them the same swimming ability inherent in aquatic turtle species.
This is why they’re primarily land dwellers, though they will sit in water to bathe when necessary. If you keep a tortoise in a terrarium, give them a shallow bowl of water that they can drink and sit in when they want, but make sure it isn’t deep enough for them to drown in.
3. They Can Hold Their Breath for a Long Time
Although the tortoise can’t swim, if they do end up in water, it doesn’t always mean they’re doomed. Tortoises can hold their breath for an impressively long time, which often gives them plenty of time to find their way back out of the water again. Some tortoise owners have even seen their pets deliberately sit under the water while bathing.
You do have to be careful here, though. A tortoise’s ability to hold their breath depends on their species, and like turtles, they can’t breathe underwater at all. If they can’t hold their breath for long enough to get out of the water or find a way out, they will drown.
4. The Fastest Tortoise in the World is Called Bertie
Back in 2014, Bertie, a Leopard tortoise, took out the Guinness World Record for tortoise land speed, with an impressive 0.28m/s, which is the equivalent of 1 km or 0.62 miles per hour.
5. They Smell Through Their Throat
Tortoises might not look like they have good noses, but their sense of smell is surprisingly strong. They also smell through their throat through the use of Jacobson’s organ, also known as the vomeronasal organ. It’s present in most amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, but for many species, it is connected directly to the nasal cavity.
In tortoises, the Jacobson organ opens into their mouth, as it does with snakes and lizards. This enables scents to be pushed into the organ by the tongue. Once the scents reach the organ, they are then analyzed in the brain.
6. Female Tortoises Can Lay Eggs Without Mating
Even if you don’t plan on breeding tortoises, you might need to have a suitable nesting spot in the terrarium because female tortoises can lay eggs without mating. The eggs are non-fertile and won’t hatch, but it can cause severe health issues if your tortoise can’t find a suitable place to make their nest.
You should also make sure your female tortoise has a suitable diet, including vitamin and mineral supplements, to make sure she doesn’t suffer from calcium deficiency when she’s producing eggs.
7. Females Can Lay Fertile Eggs Without a Male
Female tortoises can store sperm for up to 2-3 years, meaning that a female who hasn’t been in the company of a male for a couple of years can still lay fertile eggs! This is something to keep in mind if you ever take in a sexually mature female tortoise.
8. Steve Irwin Cared for the Same Tortoise as Charles Darwin
Steve Irwin took care of the same tortoise collected by Charles Darwin during his expedition on the HMS Beagle in 1835! Harriet was a Galápagos tortoise that was believed to have been born sometime between 1825 and 1832. When she was found by Darwin, he brought her to England, where she lived for several years before she was moved to Australia.
She eventually ended up in the Australia Zoo, which was founded by Irwin’s family. Harriet died in 2006 and was estimated to be around 175 years old. Irwin was one of the people who looked after her.
9. The Oldest Land Animal Is a Tortoise
With their naturally long lifespans, tortoises hold the record for the oldest land animals. But Darwin’s Harriet the Galápagos Tortoise doesn’t hold the record. Instead, it goes to a Seychelles Giant Tortoise called Jonathan, whose 190th birthday was celebrated in 2022. He was about 5 years old when Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837 and was said to be “fully mature” and at least 50 years old when he was given to Sir William Grey-Wilson as a gift in 1882.
10. Tortoises Are Ancient
Besides being long-lived individuals, tortoises are an incredibly old species as a whole. It’s impossible to give precise numbers, but they’ve likely been around for over 55 million years.
While we’re currently more familiar with smaller species, many of the original tortoises were giants. Most giant tortoise species are extinct now, but the Galápagos and Seychelles tortoises are believed to be remnants of those ancient, lost species.
11. Weather Affects Their Sex
It’s not easy to tell the difference between male and female tortoises until they reach sexual maturity. You can, however, determine which sex a tortoise is likely to be depending on the climate surrounding the nest before the turtles hatch.
More males are born when the temperature is cooler, and warmer climates lead to more females. This is due to the number of “germ cells” in an embryo changing depending on the surrounding temperature. The higher the number is, the more likely the tortoise will be female. A higher number of germ cells can also improve a female tortoise’s egg production when they reach maturity.
12. Climate Determines Their Shell Color
Tortoises live in almost all climates, except the Antarctic, and the environment of their homeland plays a huge part in more than just their sex. It also determines what color their shell is. The tortoises native to deserts always have light, tan-colored shells to help reflect light and heat. This coloring works as camouflage too.
In comparison, tortoise species that are native to cool regions often have dark shells. This helps them absorb and store more heat so they can stay warm.
13. The Scales on Their Shells Are Called “Scutes”
Tortoises are well known for their shells and the scales that cover them. These aren’t just to make the shell look pretty, though many do have distinctive patterns.
The scales are called “scutes” and are made with the same keratin protein that fingernails and hooves are made with. The scutes protect the bony plates that form the shell from damage caused by injuries or infections. Scutes are also where you’ll find growth rings, which can be counted like tree rings to estimate how old a tortoise is.
14. A Group of Tortoises is called a “Creep”
A creep might bring to mind an unnerving encounter, but it’s also the name of a group of tortoises. You’ll likely agree that tortoises, with their patterned shells and resilience, aren’t scary, though! Their group name is likely a result of their slow, crawling gait and how they creep across the ground.
Don’t worry, you’re unlikely to encounter a creep in the wild; tortoises tend to be solitary creatures, only meeting up to mate.
15. They Inspired the Roman Military
The Roman Empire was one of the greatest civilizations in the world, and part of their success came from how they used their knowledge to succeed in their endeavors. While they’re well known for their architecture, aqueducts, and baths, their war tactics are among the reasons that their empire was so far-reaching.
One of their tactics was inspired by the tortoise and their protective shell. The testudo formation relied on a shell of shields that would surround a group of Roman soldiers and protect them from arrows. While it was effective against ranged enemies, it had its downsides in close quarters during sieges.
16. Their Shells Are Alive
When you first look at a tortoise, you might assume that they can’t feel anything through their shell. However, the shell is a part of the tortoise’s body and is like hard, protective skin. It is live tissue, and has nerve endings and blood vessels; when damaged, it will bleed.
Their shell isn’t as sensitive as skin is, but a tortoise will still feel something that taps or brushes against their shell. If you have a pet tortoise and wonder whether they can feel you stroking their shell, the answer is yes. Some tortoises enjoy the sensation of being petted, while others don’t.
17. 60 Interconnected Bones Make Up Their Shell
At first glance, a shell looks like it’s a single piece that covers a tortoise, and there is a common misconception that tortoises and turtles can leave their shell at will and move into another one, like hermit crabs. However, this isn’t possible, as a turtle’s shell is actually part of their skeleton.
The shell acts like a second, protective exoskeleton which keeps them safe, but their skeleton is actually made up of similar bones to ours. Along with their skull and legs, they also have ribs, collarbones, and a spine inside their shell.
The shell itself is made up of two main parts: The top part is called the carapace, and the bottom is the plastron. The entire shell is made of small bones that are covered by scutes.
18. Sexual Maturity Is Determined by Size, Not Age
Although there are ways to tell male and female tortoises apart, it’s easiest once the tortoise reaches sexual maturity, as this is when their differences become more obvious. Tortoises don’t mature by age, though; it’s their size that determines their maturity.
This is why many pet tortoises reach sexual maturity faster than their wild cousins. They have more access to food and a safe environment, which enables them to grow more quickly.
19. They Are Intelligent
Tortoises aren’t one of the first animals that you might think of as trainable or intelligent, but they hide a keen intellect under those domed shells. They might prefer their own company and have been considered minimally intelligent in the past, particularly the giant tortoise species, but they are smart in their own way.
Studies of Aldabra tortoises proved that positive reinforcement helped them learn tricks, and some tortoises have even been taught how to use a touchscreen to earn food. In the wild, tortoises will also travel long distances and display an excellent sense of direction.
20. Tortoises Are Herbivores
Depending on the species of turtle, they can have a wide range of food that they eat. Many aquatic turtles will eat a mixture of greens and fish. Tortoises, however, are herbivores. A tasty salad is their meal of choice, and they’ll primarily eat grasses, leafy greens, flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
You do have to be careful what you feed your pet tortoise. They need plenty of vitamin C, and are prone to developing kidney and bladder stones if their calcium intake is too high.
Final Thoughts
Tortoises aren’t just interesting pets to own; there is so much more to them hiding under those impressive shells. Even if you don’t own tortoises yourself and prefer to admire them from afar, we hope that these facts prove how incredible these animals are.
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Featured Image Credit: Haoss, Shutterstock
