The tortoise is the third member of the Chelonian family – along with turtles and terrapins. Chelonians are also reptiles, which means they are cold-blooded and warm themselves by drawing heat from their environment. They have four legs and a shell that is joined down the sides. They also have strong, horny mouths, or beaks, and no teeth.
Fast Facts about Tortoise
1. The top of a tortoise’s shell is called a “carapace”. It is made up of 60 different bones all connected to each other. They can pull their head, legs and tail inside to avoid predators.
2. Most species of tortoise have a herbivorous diet eating grasses, weeds, flowers, leafy greens and fruits.
3. The largest tortoises are the giant Galapagos. Tortoises from hot places tend to have lighter-coloured shells than tortoises from cooler areas.
4. The shell has three main parts: the top carapace, the bottom plastron, and the bridge that fuses these pieces together. You can’t see them, but every tortoise has ribs, a collar bone, and a spine inside its shell.
5. Turtles have good eyesight and an excellent sense of smell. Hearing and sense of touch are both good and even the shell contains nerve endings.
6. Tortoises lay eggs. Females lay their eggs in nest holes, which they cover and leave. Babies hatch in four to eight months. They are on their own from the beginning.
7. Tortoise carapaces come in many different colours and patterns. The Star tortoise has a dark brown or black background and light brown or yellow lines fanning outwards in a star-like shape. The Leopard tortoise is very distinctive. It has cream to yellow skin and its carapace has black blotches, dashes or stripes on a cream to yellow background.
8. Tortoises hibernate in the winter time and before they do, they starve themselves so their stomachs are empty ready for hibernation.
9. They can’t swim, but Tortoises can hold their breath for a very long time.
10. The lifespan of a tortoise is 30-150 years, depending on its species.
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