When you think about beloved pets and favorite reptiles, you probably think about various fish, but also turtles. The adorable creatures are known for their giant shells and slow pace. There are so many fun facts about turtles for those who are interested.
With so many species around the world, turtles can be found everywhere except for Antarctica. They live in both fresh and saltwater and are known to lay their eggs on land while living predominantly in water. But other than what is common knowledge for many, there are still several fun facts about turtles that might surprise you.
6. They’re One of the Oldest Reptile Groups
There are over 8,000 reptile groups alive today, and turtles are one of the oldest living reptile groups among them. With around 300 species, some being highly endangered, turtles are one of the most ancient groups around, older than lizards and snakes.
To be precise, turtles date back over 200 million years ago. The earliest turtles known date to the Late Permian Period, which lasted from 298.9 million to 252.9 million years ago. The earliest species of turtle was the Eunotosaurus africanus.
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5. And They Live Long Lives
Not only are turtles one of the oldest living reptile groups, but they also live for a very long time. One of the most interesting fun facts about turtles is that their average lifespan can be from 25 years to 100 years depending on the species. Have you heard that turtles are just slow in general? One of the slowest creatures?
Well, that helps them live longer as they have a slower metabolism than other animals. This makes their aging process slower and even causes diseases to affect them slower. Some of the oldest turtles ever recorded were Tu’i Malila who lived to be 189, and a giant Seychelles Tortoise named Jonathan who just turned 191 and is still going strong.
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4. They’re Deepdivers
Of course, when living the majority of your life in the water, you learn how to survive. But one of the most interesting fun facts about turtles is just how efficient they are in the water. While sea turtles spend most of their lives underwater, hard-shelled species generally stay closer to the shallows.
Leatherbacks, however, spend most of their time in the open sea, diving deep, and migrating over vast distances. Some can descend to below 1,000 meters, or 3,280 feet, which is deeper than any other reptile as pressures are intense and the temperature is cold. Along with this, leatherbacks are known for holding their breath for a long time, over an hour at a time.
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3. They Breathe How?
A hilarious fun fact about turtles has taken the internet by storm over the years about how these reptiles breathe. They’re known to breathe out of their butts. While technically the term is cloacal respiration, many have simplified it. And it’s also not so much as breathing, but diffusing oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.
This happens when turtles hibernate in the winter. When the temperature drops, the turtle’s internal temperature drops with it, and their metabolism is slowed down. When slowed down, their oxygen needs are low, and the oxygen is diffused from the water running over them, which sustains them enough until spring. This technique is common among amphibians and reptiles, for instance, salamanders and sea snakes.
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2. They’ve Adapted to Salt
The turtles that primarily live in saltwater, have learned to adapt to the copious amount of salt by having salt glands in the corner of their eyes. If sea turtles had a salt concentration in their body the same as their seawater surroundings, it would be lethal.
Thanks to the salt glands though, they have a way to get rid of the excess salt, releasing the higher concentrations. Many people who see this happen may believe that turtles are crying, but that’s just their way of removing salt.
Another fun fact is that leatherback sea turtles have large salt glances compared to other species, they’re twice the size of their brands. They require this because their preferred diet is jellyfish, which are composed of mostly saltwater. So when feeding, they not only have to remove the saltwater that they swim in but from their food as well.
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1. They Have Impressive Navigation Skills
If you love aquatic animals, then you probably know by now that many use unique forms of navigation systems. For instance, dolphins use echolocation to navigate water. And evidently, turtles use geomagnetic navigation.
One of the most interesting fun facts about turtles is how they move around the world using the Earth’s magnetic field for information. This is one of the many reasons why newly hatched turtles migrate offshore for the first time.
A 2007 study found that farther out in the sea, “Magnetic fields unique to different geographic areas function as navigational markers that elicit changes in swimming direction at crucial points in the migratory route where turtles might otherwise stray off course.”
