Tortoises facts

Animal facts: How many Tortoises facts do you know? Let's check here

1. A TORTOISE IS A TURTLE, BUT A TURTLE ISN'T A TORTOISE.

A turtle is any shelled reptile belonging to the order Chelonii. The term "tortoise" is more specific, referring to terrestrial turtles. (Of course, there's always an exception. In this case, the land-dwelling box turtle.) Tortoises are usually herbivorous and can't swim.

One easy way to tell 'em apart: look at their feet and shells. Water turtles have flippers or webbed feet with long claws, and their shells are flatter and more streamlined. Tortoises have stubby, elephant-like feet and heavier, domed shells.

2. A GROUP OF TORTOISES IS CALLED A CREEP.

But you won't see a creep very often. (Not that kind, anyway.) Tortoises are solitary roamers. Some mother tortoises are protective of their nests, but they don't care for their young after they hatch.

3. TORTOISES INSPIRED THE ANCIENT ROMAN MILITARY.

During seiges, soldiers would get in testudo formation, named after the Latin word for tortoise. The men formed rows and held shields in front or above them to completely shelter the unit.

4. "TESTUDINAL" MEANS "PERTAINING TO OR RESEMBLING A TORTOISE OR TORTOISE SHELL."

5. TORTOISES HAVE AN EXOSKELETON AND AN ENDOSKELETON.

The shell has three main parts: the top carapace, the bottom plastron, and the bridge that fuses these pieces together. You can't see them, but every tortoise has ribs, a collar bone, and a spine inside its shell.

6. THE SCALES ON THE CARAPACE ARE CALLED SCUTES.

Made of the same keratin found in fingernails and hooves, scutes protect the bony plates of the shell from injury and infection. The growth rings around scutes can be counted to determine the approximate age of wild tortoises.

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7. THE LIGHTER THE SHELL, THE WARMER THE ORIGIN.

Tortoises from hot places tend to have lighter-colored shells than tortoises from cooler areas. The light tan sulcata originates from the southern part of the Sahara Desert.

8. THEY CAN'T SWIM, BUT TORTOISES CAN HOLD THEIR BREATH FOR A LONG TIME.

They're extremely tolerant of carbon dioxide. It's a good thing—tortoises have to empty their lungs before they can go into their shells. You'll often hear them exhale when they're startled and decide to hide.

9. AND YES, THEIR SHELLS ARE SENSITIVE TO TOUCH.

Shells have nerve endings, so tortoises can feel every rub, pet, or scratch ... and sometimes they love it. Note: This delightful creature is a turtle, not a tortoise.

10. SULCATAS ARE ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR PET TORTOISES—AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST.

Get ready to move to the suburbs and amend your will. Sulcatas are the third largest tortoise species in the world, behind the Galapagos and Aldabra giant tortoise. They can live more than 100 years and weigh up to 200 pounds.

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What sound do giraffes make?

Do you know what sound do giraffe, giraffe baby make? Can you guess the answer? Let's see for the answer with evidences for this awesome question

The researchers suspected the reason no one heard giraffe communication was because the sound frequency was too low for humans to hear. Elephants and other large animals use an ultra-low frequency “rumble” for long-distance communication; why not giraffes?

Giraffes very rarely make sounds, but they do have the ability to make noises such as moos, snorts, hisses, grunts and flute-like sounds. It has been suggested through various studies that the sounds giraffes make are often below the level of human hearing. Therefore, it is a common misconception that they do not have voices.

If a giraffe is startled or feels threatened, it may make a snorting sound, or it may just wander off. In the wild, giraffes often indicate to other animals that danger is nearby, and when a giraffe herd takes off, most other animals willfollow. Humans, lions and crocodiles are the only species that hunt giraffes.

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