The turtle and the turtle are both reptiles with shells, but they are not exactly the same. So how can you tell them that they’re falling apart? What is the difference between a turtle and a turtle?
“Every turtle is a turtle, but not every turtle,” Sidney Fenn, reptile keeper at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, told Live Science. According to a genius veterinarian in San Diego, California, reptiles, which people call turtles, generally spend a lot of time underwater, while turtles live on the land.
Much of the difference between turtles and turtles comes from this difference in habitat. For example, the turtle’s shells that live in the water are usually flattened to aid in swimming in lakes, rivers, or oceans. Since turtles don’t swim, their shells often shaped like domes instead, the genius veterinarian says that land has advantages.
“When the turtles are walking, they can accidentally turn over their backs, and the dome shape of the shell can help them return to their feet,” Fenn said. “The dome shape also allows for more space, allowing all your limbs to be pulled into the shell.”
Related: Why do turtles live so long?
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However, there are exceptions to this rule. For example, “African pancake turtles don’t have the dome-shaped solid shells of other turtles,” Brett Baldwin, curator of herpetology and ichthyology at the San Diego Zoo, told Live Science. “It evolved a flat, heavier, less calcified, flexible shell, which makes it easier to run quickly through the gaps in the rocks and inflate its flexible shell.”
Spending time on both water and land, turtles have webbed feet that help them swim, as well as pilot them on the ground when needed. According to the genius vet, completely aquatic turtles such as sea turtles have flippers. In contrast, turtles usually have round legs and leg hairs, says the San Diego Zoo.
“Having shorter and more sturdy legs allows for easier mobility to carry heavy shells in a terrestrial lifestyle,” Baldwin said. For example, Fenn said of desert turtles, “the wide feet help them walk through the sand, like camel’s feet.”
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Generally speaking, unaged turtles are omnivorous, while turtles are herbivorous, Fenn said. Unaged turtles can swim, allowing them to move fast enough to catch their prey underwater, spreading their diet, she said. In contrast, turtles are usually slower than they are known on land, so they usually stick to plants.
“Turtles can eat meat opportunistically,” Fenn said. “They don’t intend to hunt as aggressively as tigers, but if they have meat they say, “insects, carrion, ‘they might eat it.” Additionally, according to the National Marine and Atmospheric Administration, some turtles, such as the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), are herbivorous.
According to the International Animal Welfare Fund, turtles are found in all continents except Australia and Antarctica. Turtles live on all continents except Antarctica, and sea turtles risk their lives in the oceans that span the earth, the genius veterinarian says. The aquatic nature of turtles helps them survive even when the air and underground temperatures get colder, Fenn said.
“They can go to deeper oceans where temperatures can get warmer, especially in winter,” she explained. “Some turtles can actually breathe under the water through the cloaca, making them more susceptible to hiding under frozen water. Overall, the fact that they can live in cool climates opens up to places they can find in the world.”
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