Turtles and Tortoises

Reptiles with a shell. Tortoises live on land, while many turtles live in water.

Subcategories

🐢 Sea Turtles (1)

17 entries

African Spurred TortoiseCentrochelys sulcata (also called Geochelone sulcata)The largest mainland African tortoise, a burrowing plant-eater of the dry lands south of the Sahara, also called the sulcata tortoise.Aldabra TortoiseAldabrachelys giganteaOne of the world's largest tortoises, from the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, which can weigh 550 pounds and may live 150 years.Alligator Snapping TurtleMacrochelys temminckiiThe largest freshwater turtle in the United States, which lures fish into its open jaws with a worm-like bit on its tongue.Diamondback TerrapinMalaclemys terrapinA colorful turtle of coastal salt marshes from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico, the only turtle besides sea turtles that lives in brackish water.Eastern Box TurtleTerrapene carolinaA land turtle of the eastern United States that can close its shell like a box and may live more than 100 years.Florida Red-Bellied TurtlePseudemys nelsoniA Florida freshwater turtle with a reddish belly that sometimes lays its eggs in alligator nests for protection.Green Sea TurtleChelonia mydasA large sea turtle that grazes on seagrass and algae, named for the color of its fat rather than its shell.Hermann's TortoiseTestudo hermanniA small, domed European tortoise with a black-and-yellow patterned shell that sleeps through the cold months.Mata MataChelus fimbriataA camouflaged Amazon turtle with a flat head and snorkel nose that vacuums up fish by suddenly opening its mouth.Mojave Desert TortoiseGopherus agassiziiCalifornia's state reptile, a burrowing tortoise of the southwestern deserts that is now critically endangered.Pancake TortoiseMalacochersus tornieriA critically endangered East African tortoise with a thin, flat, flexible shell that hides in rock cracks instead of in its shell.Radiated TortoiseAstrochelys radiataA critically endangered Madagascar tortoise named for the yellow star-like lines on its high, domed shell.Red-Footed TortoiseChelonoidis carbonariaA South American tortoise with black skin and red patches like glowing coals that spreads seeds by eating fruit.Spider TortoisePyxis arachnoidesA tiny, critically endangered Madagascar tortoise named for the web-like yellow lines on its dark shell.Spotted TurtleClemmys guttataA small, endangered black turtle of eastern North America sprinkled with yellow spots that help it hide among duckweed.Western Pond TurtleActinemys marmorataCalifornia's only native freshwater turtle, a small olive-brown turtle that zoos help return to local ponds.Western Santa Cruz Galápagos TortoiseChelonoidis porteriA huge, dome-shelled Galápagos tortoise from Santa Cruz Island that migrates along "tortoise highways."