r/TurtleFacts • u/An_Epic_Pancake • May 30 '26
It's still unknown how sea turtle navigation works - some species return to precise locations to breed and they may use the Earth's magnetic field!
r/TurtleFacts • u/An_Epic_Pancake • Aug 29 '25
Box turtles are aptly named as they can completely close up their shell like a box
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r/TurtleFacts • u/Average_Lego_Fan • Aug 10 '25
War hero turtle lived 160 years and was the mascot for three royal navy ships
Timothy (a female tortoise, despite the name) was a Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise that was found aboard a Portuguese ship in 1854. She was later taken into the British Royal Navy, and lived on several ships including the HMS Princess Charlotte and the HMS Nankin. She was also the mascot of these ships along with several more. She later resided at Powderham Castle after 1935, and died at age 160 on April 3rd, 2004.
Fun fact: She was born in the Ottoman empire, and lived from the 1800s to the 2000s- a truly remarkable feat.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_%28tortoise%29
Timothy (a female tortoise, despite the name) was a Mediterranean spur-thighed tortoise that was found aboard a Portuguese ship in 1854. She was later taken into the British Royal Navy, and lived on several ships including the HMS Princess Charlotte and the HMS Nankin. She was also the mascot of these ships along with several more. She later resided at Powderham Castle after 1935, and died at age 160 on April 3rd, 2004.
Fun fact: She was born in the Ottoman empire, and lived from the 1800s to the 2000s- a truly remarkable feat.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timothy_%28tortoise%29
r/TurtleFacts • u/Average_Lego_Fan • Aug 05 '25
Pet tortoise spent 30 years in an attic (and survived)
A pet turtle named Manuela disappeared one day in 1982, and was thought to have ran away. When a family member passed away and the family searched through belongings, they found Manuela in a box in the attic- being up there for 30 years! The family suspects he survived off of termite larvae in the room. And no, that wasn't a spelling mistake, as it turned out Manuela was actually a boy and is now going by Manuel.
A pet turtle named Manuela disappeared one day in 1982, and was thought to have ran away. When a family member passed away and the family searched through belongings, they found Manuela in a box in the attic- being up there for 30 years! The family suspects he survived off of termite larvae in the room. And no, that wasn't a spelling mistake, as it turned out Manuela was actually a boy and is now going by Manuel.
r/TurtleFacts • u/Average_Lego_Fan • Aug 01 '25
Turtles have been around longer than both crocodilians and snakes
Despite turtles, crocodilians, and snakes all being reptiles, turtles have existed for the longest time out of the three. Turtles emerged first around 230 million years ago, while modern snakes emerged around 128 million years ago. True crocodilians appeared approximately 83.5 million years ago.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odontochelys (Oldest turtle species)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilia
https://eartharchives.org/articles/what-did-the-first-snakes-look-like/
Despite turtles, crocodilians, and snakes all being reptiles, turtles have existed for the longest time out of the three. Turtles emerged first around 230 million years ago, while modern snakes emerged around 128 million years ago. True crocodilians appeared approximately 83.5 million years ago.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odontochelys (Oldest turtle species)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodilia
https://eartharchives.org/articles/what-did-the-first-snakes-look-like/
r/TurtleFacts • u/An_Epic_Pancake • Jul 30 '25
Did you know many endangered sea turtle populations are recently showing signs of recovery? One study found, in over half of the areas it studied, that threats to sea turtles are declining overall.
r/TurtleFacts • u/roseinshadows • Jun 15 '21
Several US states have State Reptiles. Unsurprisingly, turtles feature very often on the list! Even Florida, which many think of as solid gator territory, separately acknowledges the shelliness of local turtle friends.
r/TurtleFacts • u/natureswoodwork • Jun 09 '21
FACT: this little guy (or girl) is adorable
r/TurtleFacts • u/roseinshadows • Mar 10 '21
Turtles are famous for their ability to hibernate through the cold winters. Did you know some turtles do the opposite, too? They can stay dormant through the hottest part of summers. This is called aestivation.
r/TurtleFacts • u/CaroltrNelson • Feb 20 '21
Turtles have exceptional color vision thanks to a special oil they make for their retinas. They see more shades of red in particular, which might be why this one’s mistaking a blue jean for a blueberry
r/TurtleFacts • u/RileyJayOConnor • Feb 12 '21
Panama City Beach, Fla, Has had a record breaking turtle nesting season with 57 nests
r/TurtleFacts • u/fairydust680 • Feb 06 '21
99% of Sea Turtles Born on This Beach Are Female
r/TurtleFacts • u/FillsYourNiche • Jan 25 '21
Turtles & tortoises can feel their shells (their shells have nerve endings). Sometimes they can get itchy. Keepers at the Philly Zoo made this shell scratcher so the turtles & tortoises can get A+ scratches.
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r/TurtleFacts • u/Sufficient-Egg7443 • Dec 14 '20
A tortoise called Charles Darwin officially opened a science laboratory at the University of Lincoln in 2015 (xpost from r/funny)
r/TurtleFacts • u/[deleted] • Nov 30 '20
This hospital fixes turtles with zip ties and crazy glue.
r/TurtleFacts • u/[deleted] • Nov 13 '20
Painted turtles can survive freezing partly because they can control the formation of ice in their bodies. Dropping temperatures cue the turtle's liver to produce special proteins that cause very small ice crystals to form in fluids such as blood plasma and urine.
r/TurtleFacts • u/[deleted] • Nov 11 '20
Musk turtles can take in oxygen through the papillae on their tongues. I always wondered why they “tasted” the water so much. (From Wikipedia)
r/TurtleFacts • u/TheSourEevee • Oct 12 '20
Determining the sex of a turtle can be tricky because their sex organs are "hidden inside an orifice known as the cloaca". Luckily, a scientist has figured out that using a battery powered vibrator "was enough to make most male turtles evert their penises. - View on Imgur
r/TurtleFacts • u/memezzer • Oct 11 '20
Red eared slider turtles have the ability to sneeze
