What is the difference between turtle, tortoise and tortoise?

Turtle

These are differences that manifest themselves mainly in the habitat – aquatic or terrestrial – and in morphological characteristics (related to the shape of the body) present in the hooves, paws and necks. Some of these differences are so subtle that they tend to cause confusion – there are even examples where the popular name does not match the scientific definition. “This is the case of the Amazon tortoise, which, morphologically, is a tortoise, but is called a turtle”, says biologist Flávio Molina, from the Zoological Foundation of São Paulo. “In the North region, by the way, the term turtle is applied only to this species, since each of the other local species has its own name, such as tracajá, pitiú and iaçá”, says Flávio. Regional names aside, tortoises, tortoises and turtles belong to the chelonian order, which emerged in the Triassic period, between 230 and 195 million years ago. Since then, the animals of this order have not undergone major changes and continue to have the presence of the hoof as their main feature. There are about 260 species of chelonians on the planet.

Turtle

This is how all chelonians not classified as tortoises or tortoises are generically called. Turtles can be both marine and freshwater. They have a higher hull than tortoises. Another important difference is that turtles do not bend their necks to the side when pulling them back into their shells, as turtles do.

tortoise

Water is not with him. The tortoise is the only one among these three types of turtle that lives exclusively on land. It can also be easily identified by its high hooves and cylindrical hind legs, which resemble those of an elephant.

Tortoise

It is distinguished from the tortoise by being a freshwater chelonian and not terrestrial. The differences from turtles are subtle. Tortoises have a flatter shell and have a longer neck.