{"id":860,"date":"2025-05-25T11:50:53","date_gmt":"2025-05-25T11:50:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/natgeokids.com?p=860"},"modified":"2025-11-11T16:49:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T16:49:45","slug":"turtle-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.natgeokids.com\/ie\/discover\/animals\/sea-life\/turtle-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"10 totally awesome facts about turtles!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here at Nat Geo Kids we\u2019re turt-<\/em>ally mad about turtle \u2013 so we\u2019ve put together these ten terrific turtle facts!<\/strong><\/p>\n

These magnificent creatures come in all shapes and sizes and live in a number of different environments. They all belong to a group of reptiles<\/strong> called Testudines<\/strong>, which includes turtles<\/strong>, tortoises<\/strong>\u00a0and terrapins<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

From giant, slow-moving land-dwelling tortoises and snappy terrapins basking in their fresh-water lagoons, to the graceful strokes of a sea turtle gliding through our oceans \u2013 check out our ten totally awesome turtle facts, below!<\/p>\n

Turtle facts<\/span><\/h1>\n

1. <\/strong>Turtles belong to one of the oldest reptile groups in the world – beating snakes, crocodiles and alligators!<\/span><\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>These creatures date back to the time of the dinosaurs, over 200 million years ago – woah!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"If<\/a><\/p>\n

3.\u00a0<\/strong>Turtles are easily recognised by their bony, cartilaginous<\/span>\u00a0shell<\/span><\/strong><\/span>. 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!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"turtle<\/a><\/p>\n

4.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Just like your bones, a turtle\u2019s shell is actually part of its skeleton. It\u2019s made up of over 50<\/strong> bones<\/strong> which include the turtle\u2019s rib cage<\/strong> and spine<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Did you know that we have a FREE downloadable sea turtle primary resource<\/a>? Great for teachers, homeschoolers and parents alike!<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

5.\u00a0<\/strong>Contrary to popular belief, a turtle cannot come out of its shell. The turtle\u2019s shell grows with them, so it\u2019s impossible for them to grow too big for it!<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0<\/strong>What a turtle eats depends on the environment it lives in. Land-dwelling turtles will munch on beetles<\/strong>, fruit<\/strong> and grass<\/strong>, whereas sea dwellers will gobble everything from algae <\/strong>to\u00a0squid<\/strong> and jellyfish<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"turtle<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>Some turtles are carnivores<\/strong> (meat eaters), others are herbivores<\/strong> (plant eaters) and some are omnivores<\/strong> (a mixture of the two!). Many baby turtles start life as carnivores but grow to eat more plants as they mature.<\/p>\n

8.<\/strong> Turtles are \u2018amniotes<\/strong>\u2019 – they breathe air and lay their eggs on land, although many species live in or around water.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"You'll<\/a><\/p>\n

9. <\/strong>These cold-blooded creatures have an incredibly long life span. The oldest ever recorded, named Tu”i Malila<\/strong>, of Tonga Island, passed away at the grand old age of 188<\/strong>!<\/span><\/p>\n

10.\u00a0<\/strong>Sadly, many species of turtle are endangered! 129<\/strong> of approximately 300\u00a0species of turtle and tortoise on Earth today are either vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered, according to the IUCN<\/strong>. Threats include loss of habitat, pollution<\/a>, poaching and the illegal pet trade.<\/p>\n

\"turtle<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

Do you turt<\/em>-ally love turtles? Then get to know some awesome species with our great green turtle facts<\/a>, swimmingly\u00a0<\/em>good loggerhead turtle facts<\/a> AND fab leatherback turtle facts<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

What do you think of our turtle facts? Let us know by leaving a comment, below!<\/h2>\n\n\n
Images \u24d2 Getty Images:<\/strong> Turtle in water, (636749403) . Turtle on sand, (558962897) Turtle swimming, (502266246) . Baby turtle, (127834157) <\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here at Nat Geo Kids we\u2019re turt-ally mad about turtle \u2013 so we\u2019ve put together these ten terrific turtle facts! These magnificent creatures come in all shapes and sizes and live in a number of different environments. They all belong to a group of reptiles called Testudines, which includes turtles, tortoises\u00a0and terrapins. From giant, slow-moving … Continue reading 10 totally awesome facts about turtles!<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[248,379,252,380,378],"christmas-category":[],"class_list":["post-860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sea-life","tag-animal-facts","tag-facts-about-turtles","tag-facts-for-kids","tag-reptiles","tag-turtle-facts","countries-australia","countries-ireland","countries-new-zealand","countries-south-africa","countries-united-kingdom"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n10 totally awesome facts about turtles! - National Geographic Kids<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Turtle facts: Here at NG Kids we're turt-ally mad about turtles! 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