Yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, so it only makes sense to celebrate the greenest of the four clans here at Crystal Lake Camps – the turtle! Here is some terrific turtle trivia you can wow your friends with.
Leatherback Turtle
Did you know…
- Turtles vary in size, from the huge 8 foot Leatherback Turtle to the tiny 3 inch long Bog Turtle
Bog Turtle
- The word terrapin comes from a Native American word for “little turtle,” and Box Turtles are a good example of a Terrapin
- Turtles do not have teeth. They do, however have very sharp beaks
- A turtle can live for 30 years or more, and some are thought to live as long as 100 years
- Giant tortoises are the longest-lived of all vertebrates, averaging over 100 years. The oldest on record lived to be 152
Giant Tortoise
- Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica, in deserts, forests, mountains, rivers, oceans, and at camp!
- A turtle’s upper shell is called a “carapace” and the lower shell called a “plastron”.
- There are about 220 species of turtles and tortoises
What is the Difference Between a Turtle and a Tortoise?
- Tortoises live entirely above water so do not have flippers.
- Turtles primarily live in water and therefore have webbed front feet or flipper-like fins to make swimming easier
- Turtles eat both plants and insects (omnivorous) whereas tortoises eat only plants and leaves and other vegetation (herbivorous)
Do you know any turtle/tortoise trivia? Share below in the comments!
Sources:
http://petcaretips.net/turtle-trivia.html
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/galapagos-tortoise/?source=A-to-Z
http://www.findfast.org/facts-about-turtles.htm
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/turtle.html
http://www.funtrivia.com/en/Animals/Turtles-20671.html
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