20 Interesting Facts About Turtles

Turtles are creatures considered synonymous with slowness and slowness. They appeared on Earth long before humans, and since then they have not changed so much. They live both on land and in water, and if aquatic turtles prefer fresh rivers and lakes, others prefer salty seas and oceans. Be that as it may, these creatures are truly amazing.

• The oldest fossil turtles are more than 220 million years old.
• The ancestors of modern turtles had teeth. But they did not know how to hide their heads in a shell.
• Despite their shell, turtles are by no means invulnerable. The jaguar, for example, loves to hunt them – its long and flexible legs allow it to be done with consistent success.
• The largest of all species of turtles is leatherback. The weight of an adult can reach 700-900 kg.
• The long-extinct Archelon turtle weighed over two tons.
• The meat of some species of turtles is poisonous due to the nature of their diet. For example, leatherback turtles eat poisonous jellyfish, which, in turn, makes their meat poisonous.
• Soft-bodied turtles have no shell.
• Some turtles live for over a hundred years.
• Turtles can remember and distinguish human faces.
• Turtles live on all continents except Antarctica, as well as on many islands.
• Leatherback turtles can dive to a depth of more than a kilometer, despite the monstrous pressure of the water column.
• The larger the female turtle, the more eggs it can lay at one time.
• The gender of the cubs, which will emerge from the laid eggs, depends on the ambient temperature.
• Aquatic species of turtles in their native element are by no means as slow as on land – while swimming, they can reach speeds of up to 30-35 km / h.
• Only one species (out of more than three hundred) of turtles safely tolerates the cold – Blanding’s turtle, which lives in the north of Canada, in the Great Lakes.
• Marsh turtles are fasting champions. If necessary, they can go without food for up to 4-5 years.
• Large sea turtles understand the language of dolphins, which is confirmed by experiments and observations.
• In case of danger, Mediterranean turtles hiss like snakes.
• After laying eggs, turtles forget about them forever. Of all the species of these creatures, only one takes care of its offspring, guarding the clutch with eggs.
• Sea turtles can navigate in space using the magnetic field of our planet.