Turtle Vs Tortoise

The four major families of reptiles —with crocodiles, lizards, and snakes, and tuataras — turtles and tortoises have made human fascinated from thousands of the years. But how much do you really know about these vaguely comical reptiles?

Turtle vs Tortoise Linguistics

Few things in the animal kingdom are more confusing than the difference between turtles and tortoises, for linguistic (rather than anatomical) reasons. Terrestrial (non-swimming) species should technically be referred to as tortoises, but residents of North America are just as likely to use the word "turtle" across the board. Also one of the complicating matters, in Great Britain is that "turtle" refers exclusively to marine species, and never to land-based tortoises. To avoid misunderstandings, most scientists and conservationists refer to turtles, tortoises, and terrapins under the blanket name "chelonians" or "Testudines." Naturalists and biologists specializing in the study of these reptiles are known as "Testudinologists.".

They Are Divided Into Two Major Families

The majority of the 350 or so species of turtles and tortoises are termed as “cryptodires," meaning these reptiles retract their heads straight back into their shells when they are threatened. The rest are "pleurodires," or side-necked turtles fold their necks to one side when retracting their heads. There are other, more subtle anatomical differences between these two Testudine suborders. For example, the shells of cryptodires are composed of 12 bony plates, while pleurodires have 13, and also have narrower vertebrae in their necks.

The Shells Are Securely Attached to Their Bodies

Forgetting all those cartoons you saw as a kid when a turtle jumps naked out of its shell, then dives back in when threatened. The fact is that the shell, or carapace, is securely attached to its body. The inner layer of the shell is connected to the rest of the turtle's skeleton by various ribs and vertebrae. The shells of most turtles and tortoises are composed of "scutes," or hard layers of keratin — the same protein as in human fingernails.

By: Saksham Gupta

Content: https://www.thoughtco.com/10-facts-about-turtles-and-tortoises-4134300