The Tortoise & The Turtle

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 The Tortoise
 Tortoise is the word referred to slow, terrestrial turtles.
 Tortoises and turtles have existed since 300 million years ago.
 They inhabit places with a semi-arid climate.

Classification
Kingdom :Animalia
Phylum :Chordata
Class : Reptilia
Order :Testudines
A tortoise’s shell is not a single shell, but
rather a composition of 60 bony plates.

The top part is called a carapace and the

underside is called a plastron.

Both sides are joined by a bridge.

The top carapace has scales on it called

scutes.

Scutes protect the shell plates from getting

injured.

Tortoises can hide their head, feet, and tail in

their shell.

A group of tortoises is known as a creep.

The Turtle
  Turtles belong to one of the oldest reptile groups in the
world – beating snakes, crocodiles and alligators!
 These creatures date back to the time of the dinosaurs, over
200 million years ago .

Classification
Kingdom :Animalia
Phylum :Chordata
Class : Reptilia
Order :Testudines
Turtles are easily recognised by their bony,
cartilaginous shell.

This super-tough casing acts like a shield to

protect them from predators – some turtles can
even tuck their head up inside their shell for
extra protection!

Just like your bones, a turtle’s shell is actually

part of its skeleton. It’s made up of
over 50 bones which include the turtle’s rib
cage and spine.
Contrary to popular belief, a turtle cannot
come out of its shell. The turtle’s shell grows
with them, so it’s impossible for them to grow
too big for it!

 Land-dwelling turtles will munch

on beetles, fruit and grass, whereas sea
dwellers will gobble everything
from algae to squid and jellyfish.

Some turtles are carnivores (meat eaters),

others are herbivores (plant eaters) and some
are omnivores (a mixture of the two!).
Many baby turtles start life as carnivores but grow to eat more plants
as they mature.

Turtles are ‘amniotes’ – they breathe air and lay their eggs on land,
although many species live in or around water.

These cold-blooded creatures have an incredibly long life span. The

oldest ever recorded, named Tu”i Malila, of Tonga Island, passed
away at the grand old age of 188!
Turtle vs Tortoise
Difference in Habitat
Tortoise Turtle
Tortoises also hibernate, especially  Turtles are mostly found in
the Mediterranean species. They tropical and semi-tropical
will dig a hole in which to spend climates.
the cold period, like the turtles.  As cold-blooded creatures,
Tortoises are found mostly in Asia
turtles need warm weather
and Africa. They can also be found
outside in order to regulate their
in Europe (the Mediterranean),
temperatures inside.
North America and South America.
The largest tortoises, and possibly
the most famous, are the giant
tortoises found in the Galapagos
Islands.
Continued..
Tortoise Turtle
 Because tortoises are present in so  As a result, turtles are present in
many different areas, as a result, high numbers in Southeastern
they must live in many different North America, Africa, and South
environments. Asia. Since most turtles are aquatic,
 They are found in and around their habitat is restricted to bodies
deserts, semi-arid areas, tropical of water.
forests and even lagoons, lakes and  These bodies of water can be
swamps anything from small ponds and
bogs, rivers, lakes to the ocean.
Physical Characteristics
Tortoise Turtle
 Limbs  Limbs
 Tortoises have short and sturdy legs  Turtles have webbed feet for help
that can bend at the knee. Their feet with swimming speed and long
look a lot like those of an elephant. claws.
 Tortoises have relatively small limbs
 Sea turtles have front and back
in relation to the size of their
flippers instead of what we would
bodies.
normally refer to as feet.
 This, along with the soft, pliable
 This makes moving on land very
and loose skin on legs and necks
difficult so you can see why they
allows them to pull all their limbs
tend to stay in the water unless they
inside their shells.
are laying their eggs.
 Continued…
Tortoise Turtle
 Tails  Tails
 Both turtles and tortoises use their  The tail is one of the main ways to
cloaca at the base of their tails for determine the sex of a turtle.
waste elimination and reproduction.
 In general, males have a much
longer and thicker tail than female
turtles of the same species.

Necks
Both turtles and tortoises can retract their necks into their shells. This is to avoid
predators but can also be used for hunting. Turtles can pull their necks into their
shell in 2 ways..
•They can either retract it by moving it sideways or they can retract it by just
pulling it straight back.

•The way in which they retract their necks depends on their individual species

Ears
Neither turtles nor tortoises have ears.

•But, this doesn’t mean that they can’t hear.

•While they can’t hear nearly as well as we do, scientists have found that they do
have a thick eardrum-like membrane in their middle ears.

•This membrane allows them to hear only low pitched sounds. But, hey, it still
counts!
 Tortoise vs Turtle Shell
Tortoise Turtle
 The tortoise’s shell is more round • Turtles spend the majority of their
and much heavier than that of the time in water so their shell needs
turtle. to be light and hydrodynamic.

 Tortoises are notoriously slow • Otherwise, it would impact their

movers so it’s hard for them to run swimming and cause them to sink
away from predators. in the water.

 They need a strong, heavy shell to

• This would greatly limit their
protect them while they go about
ability to find sufficient food and
their daily activities.
therefore survive.
Continued..
Tortoise Turtle
 Tortoises can also retract their head  A turtle shell can be comprised of up to
into their shell. 60 different scutes on top of the bone.
 In order to do this, they must exhale  Scutes are made of keratin like our own
the air in their lungs. It’s a good thing fingernails and toenails. The main
they can hold their breath for a long reason a turtle will shed its scutes is to
time – they are very tolerant of carbon grow – shedding smaller scutes to make
dioxide. This would be even more way for larger ones.
useful if they could swim but they  A turtle will also shed scutes to clean its
can’t. shell and keep it free from infection.
 Both the turtle and the tortoise have  The color of a turtle shell varies – most
nerve endings in their shells. This commonly, they are black, brown and
means they can feel it when you touch olive green. Turtle shells can also have
them. But, you should never touch a red, yellow, orange and gray in them,
turtle or tortoise in the wild. depending on the species.
 Shell
Tortoise Turtle
Differences in Diet
Tortoise Turtle
Most land-based  Turtles can be both
tortoises are herbivores herbivores
and carnivores.
Reproduction of Turtle vs Tortoise
Tortoise Turtle
 Female tortoises dig burrows in  The eggs from a turtle are somewhat
which they lay anywhere from 2 to soft and leather-like, similar to the
12 eggs. Hatchlings take eggs produced by other reptiles.
approximately 90-120 days to Turtle hatchlings stay in their nest
incubate within the ping-pong-ball on their own for 90-120 days.
sized eggs.
Difference in Life Span
Tortoise Turtle
 The lifespan of a tortoise is much  The average lifespan of a turtle is
longer. On average, a tortoise’s between 20 and 40 years. An
lifespan will be between 60 to 80 exception to this, because there’s
years and even longer in captivity always an exception, is the sea
turtle. A sea turtle’s lifespan is
longer and is usually between 60 to
70 years.
 The tortoise males and females can
 Turtles it’s the female that bears the
be very violent. 
brunt of the violence. If you happen
to come across a pair of mating
turtles or tortoises, it is best to stay
away completely.
Freshwater Turtle species recorded in
Pakistan
. Scientific Name Common Name
 Pangshura tectum  Spotted Pond Turtle
 Pangshura smithii  Brown Roofed Turtle
 Pangshura tectum  Indian Roofed Turtle
 Hardella thurjii  Crowned River Turtle
 Nilssonia gangeticus  Indian Soft Shell Turtle
 Nilssonia hurum  Peacock Soft Shell Turtle
 Lissemys punctata  Indian Flap Shell Turtle
 Chitra indica  Indian Narrow-headed
Peacock Soft Shell Brown
Turtle roofed
turtle

Indian roofed
turtle
Freshwater Turtle specie in Pakistan
spotted pond turtle

Crowned River Turtle

Indian Narrow-headed
Marine Turtle specie in Pakistan
common name scientific name

 green turtle
•Chelonia mydas
 olive Ridley turtle
•Lepidochelys olivacea
 hawksbill turtle •Eretmochelys imbricata
 loggerhead turtle •Caretta caretta
 leatherback turtles •Dermochelys coriacea
 hawksbill turtle

leatherback turtles

olive Ridley turtle

Tortoise species in Pakistan
Two tortoise species are found in Pakistan.

• Common name Scientific name

• Afghan Tortoises Testudohors fieldii
• Indian star Tortoises Geochelone elegans
Location of Turtle and Tortoise in
Pakistan
Turtle
 The green turtles nest on sandy shores along the Sindh and Balochistan
coast. In Sindh, important nesting grounds for the turtles are Sandspit,
Hawke’s Bay, and Paradise Point, whereas, along the Balochistan coast,
Sonmiani, Taq in Ormara, Astola Island and Daran in Jiwani are the
locations where every year thousands of marine turtles come to lay their
eggs.

 Tortoise
 Two tortoise species are found in Pakistan; the Indian star tortoises and
the Afghan tortoises.
 “The Indian star tortoise has become rare in Sindh, though the Afghan
tortoise is still found in many areas of Balochistan.”