By looking at the body, diet, and habitat of a turtle or tortoise you can tell which one is which. people get confused when they see a turtle or a tortoise because they get them mixed up. There are ways that you can tell the difference. Though they may seem very similar, they do have a lot of differences.



Tortoises mostly have dome shaped shells (with bumps on their shells for some species). They tend to have very heavy shells. There feet are short and sturdy with bent legs, they are meant for the desert like weather. They are in the class of Reptilia, kingdom is Anmilia, and their family is Chelonians, the same as a turtle. Turtles mostly have flat, streamlined shells. They tend to have generally light weight shells. They have webbed feet with long claws. Both of their shells are used for protection. The upper part of their shells is called Carapace and the lower portion is called Plastron. The Carapace and Plastron are attached at the end by a bridge which means only the head and legs may be withdrawn from the shell. Their body can never be fully detached from the shell. (orf.org)



Tortoises and turtles are both reptiles from the family of Testudines. The major difference is that tortoises live on land and turtles live in the water.Tortoises are mostly found in Asia and Africa but some species live in the Americas too. Turtles are found in Africa and also found in America. Tortoises life span is 80-150 years (the longest living tortoise is 326). Turtles lifespan is 20-40 years ( the oldest was 86). (web.ebscohost.com)



Turtles have a diet that includes fruits, veggies, leafy vegetation, and meat which makes them omnivores. Tortoises have a diet that includes fruits and veggies, tortoises eat 95% of vegetables for their diet. Turtles when young eat mostly eat animal material such as earthworms, slugs, snails, beetles, millipedes, spiders, crayfish, and grasshoppers. They should eat 50% animal proteins, and 50% plants (including 75%veggies and 25% fruit). (Tortoise vs. Turtles, diffen.com)


Now that you know more about the shelled reptiles you will be able to see it, examine it and have an idea of which one it is. Whenever you see a turtle in water, or a tortoises on on land you’ll know which one it is. When you see a tall shell that looks like a dme then you know that it is a tortoise. A flat shell it’s a turtle. If you see a turtle or a tortoise eating the food that it eats you know which one it is. If you ever need to know the information about either one of the shelled reptiles you will know the main details.








Works Cited
Tortoise vs Turtle." Difference and Comparison. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.

Weisler, Gary P. "The Oceanic Resource Foundation: Underwater Photography / Marine Conservation." The Oceanic Resource Foundation: Underwater Photography / Marine Conservation. Oceanic Resource Foundation, 1997-2005. Web. 07 Dec. 2012.

"Turtles." Http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail? Wildlife Education, Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.