Facts about Tortoises

1. 07

   Radiated tortoises from Madagascar can reach speeds of 0.3 miles per hour, making them among the slowest-moving land animals on Earth.

   TortoisesMay 14sharelocomotionmeasurementbehavior
2. 06

   Approximately 15 species of tortoises remain critically endangered, with several populations numbering fewer than 100 individuals in the wild.

   TortoisesMay 14shareconservationpopulationendangered
3. 05

   Desert tortoises can store up to one year's worth of water in their bladders, allowing them to survive extended droughts in their arid habitats.

   TortoisesMay 14sharebiologyadaptationsurvival
4. 04

   Shells of tortoises are made of around 50 bones covered by 60 scutes, which are plates of keratin that grow throughout the animal's entire lifetime.

   TortoisesMay 14shareanatomybiologygrowth
5. 03

   A giant Galápagos tortoise can live 100 to 150 years in the wild, with some individuals exceeding 170 years of age.

   TortoisesMay 14sharelongevitybiologygalpagos
6. 02

   The Galápagos tortoise Lonesome George, who died in 2012, was the last known individual of the Pinta Island subspecies.

   TortoisesMay 14shareextinctiongeographyconservation
7. 01

   Over 200 million years ago, tortoises diverged from other reptiles during the Triassic period, making them older than snakes and lizards.

   TortoisesMay 13shareancientevolutionbiology