By Sushant Agarwal
Published on | May 23, 2025
Today we celebrate one of Earth’s oldest and most incredible reptiles – the turtle!
Turtles have existed for over 200 million years – older than snakes, crocodiles, and even dinosaurs!
Turtles have tough, bony shells made from over 50 bones, including ribs and spine – they’re wearing their skeleton!
Turtles don’t have teeth – they use strong beak-like mouths made of keratin to crush, cut, or tear their food.
Turtle diets depend on habitat – land turtles eat fruit, beetles, and grass, while sea turtles eat algae, squid, and jellyfish.
Nest temperature determines hatchling gender – warmer means females, cooler means males!
Sea turtles use Earth’s magnetic field to travel thousands of miles and return to their birth beaches to nest.
Turtles can slow their heart rate and hold their breath underwater for hours – perfect for diving and resting.
Turtle sizes vary from 40kg Kemp’s ridleys to 900kg leatherbacks. The largest, 2.9m and 961kg, washed up on Wales’ Harlech beach in 1988.
Only 1 in 1,000 marine turtle hatchlings reach adulthood due to predators and environmental threats.
129 of about 300 turtle species are endangered. Threats include habitat loss, pollution, poaching, and pet trade.
Jonathan, living on Saint Helena Island, is over 190 years old and still going strong, making him the oldest known living land animal on Earth!