Turtles and Tortoises

Kateri S.6b2010

The same, but different

Turtles and tortoises are both often mistaken for each other . The difference between them is that turtles live mostly in water and tortoises live mostly on land.

Species

There are about 250 species of turtles and tortoises today. Two of the most common pet turtles are the yellow bellied slider and the red eared slider.

Tortoises

Most tortoises have stumpy legs and a high rounded upper shell. The largest tortoises are the giant Galaagos and Aldabra tortoises.

Shells

A turtle or tortoise shell is made up of many small plate-like bones and is part of their skeleton. The flat underneath is called the plastron; upper-carapace shell-covered by hard, horny plates,or leathery skin.

Endangered Species

Some turtles and tortoises are endangered species. The green sea turtle is endangered because it is the source of turtle soup.