Turtles are famous reptiles with shells that are not owned by other animals. There are 365 species of turtles around the world, both those that live on land, rivers, seas and others.The food consumed by turtles varies depending on the type and place of residence. The majority of tortoises are herbivores and freshwater turtles or turtles are usually omnivores.
Turtles do not have teeth to cut food but rather have beaks similar to birds. Even though it looks slow, some turtles, especially freshwater turtles, are able to swim very fast, you know!
Apart from the facts above, there are many more unique and interesting facts about turtles. Therefore, let’s look at the discussion!
Turtles can’t get out of their shells
Many of us think that a turtle can get out of its shell. But in fact, the turtle shell is part of the turtle’s body itself. The turtle shell is composed of more than 50 bones which are a combination of ribs and vertebrae. The shell of a tortoise will continue to develop along with the growth of the turtle itself, in contrast to the hermit crab, which can change their shell because it doesn’t continue to grow.
Not all turtles can live more than 100 years
Turtles are indeed one of the animals that can live for a very long time. However, not all types of turtles can live for more than 100 years, you know! For example, the type of Brazilian tortoise that is often kept by humans can only survive for 20-40 years depending on the food consumed and the conditions in which it lives.
Not all turtles move slowly, you know
Turtles are synonymous with slow walking animals, for example the Galapagos turtle, which is only able to walk 1.6 km / hour. However, not all turtles are slow, you know! The average turtle can walk at a speed of 6 km / hour and is able to swim at a speed of 35 km / hour. In fact, they can walk even faster, especially for male turtles who are attracted to female turtles.
The record age of the oldest tortoise in the world is 250 years
The record for the turtle with the longest lifespan in the world is held by a giant tortoise, Giant Aldabra named Adwaita. Adwaita died in 2006 at the Alipore Zoo, India.
The alligator snapping turtle is the turtle with the most dangerous bite
The alligtor snapping turtle is a turtle with the most dangerous bites among all types of turtles that exist. This carnivorous tortoise has a strong jaw strength which produces a bite pressure of 650 newtons. The alligator snapping turtle has a strong and very sharp beak which is useful for shredding and gripping prey.
There are types of turtles that can breathe through the rectum, you know
Basically a turtle breathes using its lungs. However, there are turtles who have a very unique ability to breathe through their anus. This ability is only owned by the Fitzroy River Turtle which is a freshwater turtle. This turtle can survive in water for a long time, because of its ability to breathe underwater through its anus.
Turtles have 3 ears
Perhaps many are wondering whether this cold-blooded animal has ears? The fact is that turtles have 3 ears, you know. In contrast to mammals that have ears that appear directly to the side of the head, 2 turtle ears are located beside the head which are shaped like small holes and the other is located inside the nose. Those are 7 facts about turtles that many people may not know. Hopefully it can add to your insight!
