1. Many species of turtles can live upto a 100 years, including the American Box Turtle. In an amazing documentation of an adult Indian Ocean Giant Tortoise, it was captured when it was around 50 years old and survived a staggering 152 more years in captivity!
2. The very first turtles had teeth and unlike the turtles of today, could not pull in their heads. Apart from this, the turtles we see today are very much the same as the earliest ones.
3. Turtles come in a huge variety of sizes. The smallest one is the 4 inch Bog turtle and the largest one is the 1500 pound Leatherback turtle.
4. You can find turtles on almost all continents except Antarctica. Most turtles don’t adapt too well in cold regions but one specie known as Blanding's turtle has been seen swimming under ice in Great Lakes region.
5. The shell of a turtle itself is made up of almost 60 different bones, which are connected all together, making it hard and strong. The bony area of the shell is covered with plates known as scutes that are derived from the skin and offer strength and protection.
6. The domed top part of the shell of a turtle is known as carapace and the underlying soft part is called plastron.
7. Certain species of aquatic turtles can absorb oxygen through skin pores on the neck, which allows them to remain underwater for long durations. They also tend to hibernate under water due to this feature.
8. Turtles are known to possess excellent eyesight and a keen sense of smell. Hearing and sense of touch are both good and in fact, the shell also contains nerve endings!
