Top 10 Incredible Turtle Facts
1 : turtles are divided into two groups based on how they retract their neck – side-necked and hidden-necked.
2 : Prehistoric turtles originated approximately 230 million years ago, with the first dinosaurs appearing only shortly before.
3 : turtles is that their shell is actually made up of their bones. Turtles are vertebrates, and their shells are part of their skeleton.
4 : Turtles are not maternal and do not care for their young. In fact, after laying the eggs, they have nothing more to do with them or the subsequent hatchlings.
5 : The smallest species of turtles are only 3 to 4 inches long, while the largest is the leatherback sea turtle which can be up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 2,000 pounds.
6 : Many species of turtle migrate seasonally, but most only travel short distances (often between 1 and 20 miles). However, sea turtles migrate thousands of miles yearly to their favorite nesting sites.
7 : Turtles have very good hearing compared to other reptiles and can hear sounds of up to 500Hz on land.
8 : Turtles are typically opportunistic omnivores. Those who spend more time on land usually eat more plant material, while those that spend more time in the water – particularly sea turtles – have a more carnivorous diet.
9 : As reptiles, all turtles are cold-blooded, which means that their body temperature depends on the environment.
10 : Turtles face several very real threats today, with habitat destruction and the destruction of nest sites being among the main reasons.