Turtle facts
Little things about one of Earth's oldest, coolest creatures.
- 01
Older than dinosaurs
Turtles have been around for over 200 million years — they shared the planet with the first dinosaurs.
- 02
Their shell is their skeleton
A turtle's shell is made of more than 50 bones, including its ribs and spine. It can never crawl out of it.
- 03
Long lives
Many turtles live 50+ years, and some giant tortoises have passed 150.
- 04
Sand sets the gender
For many species, warm nests hatch mostly females and cooler nests hatch mostly males.
- 05
Built-in compass
Sea turtles use Earth's magnetic field to find their way back to the beach where they hatched.
- 06
Butt breathing (really)
Some freshwater turtles can absorb oxygen through their rear end while resting underwater all winter.
- 07
No teeth
Turtles don't have teeth — they use a sharp, beak-like mouth to bite and tear food.
- 08
Found almost everywhere
There are about 360 kinds of turtles, living on every continent except Antarctica.