Turtles: interesting facts. ​50 most interesting facts about turtles for the curious The most interesting things about turtles

Turtles are one of the slowest representatives of the animal world. Turtles are the standard of slowness; it’s not for nothing that they say, “It floats like a turtle.” There are currently more than 300 species in the order of turtles, and there are both land and sea turtles. Distinctive feature turtles are protected by their shell, which serves as their natural protection from various dangers. In this article we will look at the most interesting facts about turtles.

1. Some species of tortoises (such as Galapogos tortoises) can survive without food or water for a year or even more. Therefore, sailors used to take such turtles with them on long voyages (just in case) as live canned food.

2. Turtles are real long-livers. They can live more than 150 years.

3. Steven Spielberg admitted that the scream of the velociraptors in the film "Park" Jurassic"The calls of turtles during mating were used and further processed.

4. The first animals in space were dogs, but the first animals to fly around (1968) were Central Asian steppe tortoises. This choice was made based on the fact that these turtles could go for long periods of time without food and did not require much oxygen.

5. In 2011, several flights were delayed at one of the New York airports due to the fault of turtles. At that moment, more than 150 turtles crawled onto the runway and decided to start laying eggs here. Flights resumed only after airport staff moved all the turtles to another safe location.

6. On the scutes that make up the turtle's shell, annual concentric rings grow, thanks to which the age of the turtle can be determined.

7. The smallest turtles (captcha or Namaqualand) do not exceed 10 cm, and the most huge turtles(Leatherback or lute turtle) reach 2.5 meters in length and 900 kg in weight.

8. Despite them appearance, turtles have well-developed senses such as touch, smell, and hearing.

9. In 1969, a case of a turtle saving a person was recorded. A man fell overboard from a ship and found himself in the middle of Caribbean Sea. His only salvation was a turtle that swam up to him. He grabbed onto her shell and thus waited for rescue for about 15 hours until he was picked up by another ship. While he waited all this time, the turtle stayed strictly on the surface and did not swim or dive anywhere until he was rescued.

10. Turtles are one of the most ancient creatures that lived 100-200 million years ago and have survived to this day. Modern turtles are not much different from ancient turtles, but still one thing important difference yes - ancient turtles had teeth.

11. Despite all the good nature of turtles, there are species that can attack a large animal or even a person. For example, there are cases where snapping turtles have bitten off the toes of divers while they were in the water.

13. In 1960, a turtle named Chester escaped from its owners. At that time, no one found her, but 35 years later (in 1995), this turtle was found by the neighbors of the owners on their property, which was located only 700 meters from its previous home. Those. in 35 years, the turtle traveled less than a kilometer. But who knows? Maybe she has already seen the whole world and decided to come back). How did you find out that it was Chester? It had a white stripe on its shell.

The most ancient reptiles today are considered turtles. First known to science The turtle appeared 220 million years ago, but it only had the lower part of the shell, and it also had teeth, although modern turtles do not have them. The size of the prehistoric turtles is enormous - the diameter of the shell reached 3.6 meters. It is considered the largest turtle that has ever lived on our planet. Found skeleton ancient turtle reached more than 4 meters. The estimated mass of the archelon was about 2.2 tons.

Found remains of Archelon

Today is the most big turtle- leatherback turtle - the size of its shell is more than 2 meters in diameter. The giant land tortoise includes the elephant tortoise - the width of the shell reaches more than 1 meter.

The leatherback turtle is a giant among reptiles

A distinctive feature of turtles from other animals is their shell. This is real armor. It is capable of supporting 200 times the weight of the reptile itself. If threatened, the turtle pulls its head and limbs inside its shell, and not every predator can break such armor.

Turtles are also long-lived - almost all of these reptiles live more than 100 years. In 2006, the long-living Galapagos tortoise Harriet died at the zoo. An interesting fact is that it was brought to Europe by the famous scientist Charles Darwin. The turtle died at the age of 250 years.

Harriet - a long-lived turtle

It is a misconception that turtles are very slow. Actually this is not true. Leatherback turtles can swim at a speed of 35 km/h, but on land they are slower and move at a speed of 15 km/h. Speed ​​of movement land turtles depends on temperature environment. The colder it is, the slower the turtle will crawl. The main factor in the slowness of turtles is the structure of their body. Short limbs can hardly carry a bulky and heavy shell with high speed Therefore, turtles symbolize slowness and clumsiness.

Sea turtles have unique ability- they are able to hold their breath for 10 hours and 14 minutes. This is a record among vertebrates.

The most aggressive and dangerous are snapping turtles. They attack snakes and waterfowl. There have been cases of snapping turtles biting off the fingers of divers. At the same time, turtles have no teeth at all, but they have a sharp and strong beak that can bite off a piece of wood. Shows aggression and bloodthirstiness soft-bodied turtles Trionics. A hungry flock of these reptiles is capable of killing a large animal.

snapping turtle

Turtles can go hungry for long periods of time. An elephant turtle can go without food for 18 months. Many years ago, sailors took turtles with them on voyages for food - like canned food, and there was no need to feed them.

The turtle's shell consists of keratinized scutes. Concentric rings form on them every year. Like trees, you can use them to determine the age of a turtle.

Concentric rings on a turtle shell

Turtles are common on almost all continents, with the exception of Antarctica. They are able to survive in any conditions, but they need warm water to reproduce.

Today, about half of all turtle species are on the verge of extinction. They are exterminated due to their use in cooking and folk medicine. One in three turtles die as a result of fishing.

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In particular, Pond slider. This species is more popular among those who want to add an amphibian animal to their aquarium. She got her name for the bright red stripes or spots on her head, and her ears themselves are not red.

But the conversation in the article will not be about the content of these representatives freshwater world, and about the most interesting and little known facts from their lives.

Don't be a singer...

With its hissing, the turtle scares away a potential enemy, in its opinion. Since hissing is one of the defense methods, and there is no recognition function for the owner, it hisses almost every time you reach out to it. You can imagine what it would be like if her vocal cords could make sounds! It's better to be silent. Or hisses quietly to himself.

Long summer to you...

Surely everyone knows that turtles live long lives. The red-eared turtle in captivity lives up to 30-40 years. But there are cases when good care, life expectancy ranged from 50 to 70 years!

It is quite possible to bequeath your red-eared turtle to your children...

This color is not in fashion today. . .

Reptiles often change their color. Red-eared turtles are no exception. Studies have shown that depending on the environment in which they live, their color changes. The process occurs more slowly than, for example, in the same chameleons. But a fact is a fact! Our turtle adapts to changing living conditions.

Interesting video: A red-eared turtle caught on a donk in the Desnogorsk Reservoir

Try to catch up...

The popular belief that turtles are super slow is not true. Yes, they move measuredly and sedately, but only under certain conditions. They become more agile not only in water, but also on land they can develop sufficient speed. And even overcome obstacles with ease.

So he will be able to participate in the races with dignity.

Video: Red-eared Turtle Tortilla

Don't come near us...

A turtle is not always a cute, funny pet creature. Often they are not so harmless. Moreover, they are the first to show aggression. Having no teeth

They can grab your finger quite tightly when feeding and even injure you! Nature has endowed the turtle with well-developed jaw muscles.

And at the same time, strong, sharp claws on its paws. As long as she gets used to one's hands, scratches are guaranteed.

Interesting video: Feeding red-eared turtles And

And finally...

Red-eared turtles love to bask in the sun and warm stones. Plop down from these stones into a bathtub or some small pond.

Leave them unattended open space not worth it. They will run away in an unknown direction, and are unlikely to return back.

There is a documented fact of a red-eared turtle escaping from its water park summer evening and declared missing, was found two years later, in an abandoned old well. Alive and unharmed and even grown up!

Which speaks to the unprecedented endurance of these brave little creatures.

But her friend has not been found to this day...

Turtle Day was celebrated on May 23. The tradition began in 2000 at the initiative of the American Turtle Rescue Society.

The purpose of the holiday is to draw attention to the conservation of the population, because 228 species out of 328 are listed in the IUCN Red List, 135 are under threat of extinction, and 6 are considered extinct.

Turtles suffer from fishing. It was only in the 20th century that the population of green turtles off the coast of Somalia dropped to several hundred.

Every year, fishermen caught about 4,000 individuals. In some Asian countries, for example, China and Vietnam, turtle dishes are considered a delicacy.

In Cuba, Sri Lanka and Malaysia, variations of turtle eggs are part of the national cuisine. Fishing for sea turtles is widespread in the Caribbean to this day.

There are practically no poisonous turtles in the world, which is why their meat is so popular. Only box (land), hawksbill and leatherback (sea) turtles can be poisonous because they feed poisonous mushrooms and jellyfish, respectively.

Turtles remember people's faces and also understand intonation. For example, gentle speech makes animals crane their necks and listen, while rude and harsh speech makes them hide in their shells.

Large sea turtles understand dolphins. They swim to the Nicobar Islands to lay eggs, but do not come ashore until they receive a permissive signal from the cetaceans.

A bog turtle can live without food for 5 years. For comparison, emperor penguin can starve for 130 days while hatching eggs, and a camel goes without food and water for 45 days.

During the mating season, giant elephant turtles They roar very loudly, and the green ones sing love songs under water.

Some species of turtles have claws on their paws, which males use to scratch females during mating games.

Temperature influences the sex formation of a turtle: at low temperatures, males hatch more often, at high temperatures, females hatch.

Most turtles die in the first months of life, since without a shell they are vulnerable. It takes several months to form. And the larger the individual becomes, the fewer predators it is threatened by.

For example, for a large sea ​​turtle Even an encounter with a shark is not dangerous. Majority freshwater turtles In childhood they eat food of animal origin, and as adults they become vegetarians.

Turtles live on all continents except Antarctica. But at the same time, only one species can tolerate the cold - the Blanding's turtle. Representatives of this species thrive under the ice of the Great Lakes.

Turtles hold the record for longevity among vertebrates. They can live for two centuries, for example, some researchers believe that the giant tortoise Aivata lived 250 years, and its relative Kaki at least 146 years.

The elephant tortoise, Garietta, lived to be 175 years old, and the Madagascar radiated tortoise, Tiu Malila, died at 188 years old. The rings on the scutes of the shell tell the age of the turtle.

Some people fall in love at first sight, while others are disgusted. If at first glance these little animals seem quite simple, do not be deluded, because in fact they are fraught with many secrets. This article will tell you about the most interesting facts about turtles - silent and sedate!

1. World Turtle Day is celebrated on May 23rd. If we talk about the age of turtles, then we can say with confidence that these silent creatures appeared on planet Earth before birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Turtles first appeared on the planet about 200 million years ago. Of course, turtle ancestors were significantly different from modern representatives, because ancient turtles could not hide their heads in their shells and had teeth.

2. We know about turtles that they are long-lived animals. For most turtles, 100 years is not the limit, because at this time they are living active image life and even mate. For example, the world knows a long-lived turtle that lived for about 50 years in the wild and another 152 years in the zoo.

3. Turtles live in all parts of the planet except Antarctica. These creatures prefer warm countries, however, there is a species of turtles whose representatives love to swim in cold waters and even under ice. This species is called Blandinga, and these turtles live in the area of ​​the American Great Lakes.

4. Turtles do not have a specific size, because you can find both dwarf tortoises and giant tortoises. Thus, the smallest turtle grows only 10 centimeters, and the largest can reach 2.5 meters in length and weigh more than 900 kilograms.

5. Everyone knows turtles as very slow creatures. In fact, this is far from the truth, since turtles are only slow on land. While in the water, turtles can swim at a speed of 35 kilometers per hour. Interestingly enough, turtles simply love to dive and do it quite often. The huge leatherback turtle can dive to a depth of 1200 meters.

6. Many people may be interested in knowing what a turtle shell is. In fact, the shell consists of 60 bones that are connected to each other. This bony part is covered on top with small scutes that further protect the turtle. If you count the annual concentric rings on a turtle's shell, you can determine its age.

7. Turtles have excellent vision, excellent hearing, good sense of smell and touch. The turtle shell contains a large number of nerve endings. If the turtle for a long time sees the same person, over time she begins to recognize him by smell or appearance.

8. The star tortoise is considered the most beautiful. You can meet this “beauty queen” in India. Shell scutes star turtle very similar to small black pyramids, and against their background the bright yellow stripes stand out very beautifully.

9. Turtles are able to help people. This has been proven interesting case, which occurred in 1969. A man fell overboard and almost drowned in the Caribbean Sea, if not for a turtle. The man grabbed the animal and hung on it for about 15 hours. All this time, the turtle stood peacefully and waited for rescuers, although it could have easily plunged into the water. The man released the animal only when a ship came to his aid.

10. Another interesting incident about turtles occurred on June 29, 2011 at one of the airports in New York. Dozens of flights were delayed, and turtles were to blame. The animals crawled onto the runway and didn’t even think about leaving. About a hundred turtles decided to lay their eggs right on the territory of the New York airport. By the way, such cases are not isolated, since in mating season turtles often lay eggs on human territory.

These are the interesting facts we learned about turtles!