What is the difference between a turtle and a tortoise?

Answer 1

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the crown group Chelonia), most of whose body is shielded by a special bony or cartilagenous shell developed from their ribs. The Order Testudines includes both extant (living) and extinct species, the earliest turtles being known from the early Triassic Period, making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups, and a much more ancient group than the lizards and snakes. About 300 species are alive today. Some species of turtles are highly endangered.


Like their aquatic cousins, the turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise has both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton. Tortoises can vary in size from a few centimetres to two meters. Most land tortoises are herbivorous in the wild. The carapace can help indicate the age of the tortoise by the number of concentric rings, much like the cross-section of a tree. Males tend to have a longer, protruding neck plate than their female counterparts.

Answer 2

There are only 4 species of turtle - those are the Marine
Turtles (Green, Ripley, Leather Back, Loggerhead).

There are also terrapins - which are flatter with a long neck and may have a spade shaped head. These are freshwater animals, and some species have red or yellow lines along the head and neck.

Tortoises are the 'turtle' with a domed shell, and a more square shaped head, such as the Galopogos tortoises.

Answer 3

A turtle is aquatic (around and living part time in water.) A tortoise lives in arid areas (like a desert). Did you know that both turtles and tortoises can swim although some tortoises don't do it very well?

Answer 4

All tortoises are turtles but not all turtles are tortoises. Turtles are characterized as aquatic and terrain based reptiles with a carapace. Tortoises are just more of a land loving but their still considered turtles.

Answer 5

the name

Answer 6

For the most part, the difference between a turtle and tortoise is more of a rough semantic category than a strict taxonomic separation. Colloquially, both biologists and lay people use the word, "turtle" to mean all chelonians. In general, a turtle lives in or near the water and has adapted to swim by holding their breath underwater. A tortoise lives in an arid region, comfortable with storing water and walking on sandy ground.


Tortoise— A land-dweller that eats low-growing shrubs, grasses, and even cactus. Tortoises do not have webbed feet. Their feet are round and stumpy for walking on land. Tortoises that live in hot, dry habitats use their strong legs to dig burrows. Then, when it’s too hot in the sun, they slip underground.


Turtle— Spends most of its life in the water. Turtles tend to have webbed feet for swimming. Sea turtles (Cheloniidae family) are especially adapted for an aquatic life, with long feet that form flippers and a streamlined body shape. They rarely leave the ocean, except when the females come ashore to lay their eggs. Other turtles live in fresh water, like ponds and lakes. They swim, but they also climb out onto banks, logs, or rocks to bask in the sun. In cold weather, they may burrow into the mud, where they go into torpor until spring brings warm weather again.

Answer 7

a Turtle is another word for Terepin and is an animal that can swim, a Tortoise is a non aquatic animal and doesn't swim

Answer 8

A cannot explain broader about your question for simple explanation turtle are web footed and primarily live on water while tortoise can survive long period stay on land

i hope you accept my simple answer

Answer 9

tortoises live on land, turtles live in the water

Answer 10

turtles are more aquatic than tortoise tortoise have higher domed shells and scaled legs