It’s no secret that turtles and tortoises are some of the most endearing critters on Earth. Even people terrified by snakes or lizards often love turtles, and there are good reasons for this. Turtles are beautiful and unassuming. Even seemingly-fearsome snapping turtles do their best to avoid confrontation, rarely exiting their homes in the water. Videos of baby sea turtles dashing madly towards the sea grip the hearts of all but the most cynical among us. In the U.S., we usually call aquatic species turtles and terrestrial animals tortoises. However, many other cultures have those definitions reversed. For this reason, naturalists often refer to them as a group by the scientific term chelonians (or sometimes testudines).
This lesson is part of Certified Herpetological Guide. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 50 hours).
