Turtle Facts
- Turtles have been on the earth for more than 200 million years. They evolved before mammals, birds, crocodiles, snakes and even lizards.
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The earliest turtles had teeth and could not retract their heads, but other than this, modern turtles are very similar to their original ancestors.
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Several species of turtles can live to be over a hundred years of age including the American Box Turtle.
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Turtles live on every continent except Antarctica.
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Turtles will live in almost any climate warm enough to allow them to complete their breeding cycle.
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While most turtles don't tolerate the cold well, the Blanding's turtle has been observed swimming under the ice in the Great Lakes region.
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The top domed part of a turtle's shell is called the carapace and the bottom underlying part is called the plastron.
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The shell of a turtle is made up of 60 different bones all connected together.
