The Common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large freshwater turtle. It is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific epithet...
The Alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) is a large species of turtle in the family Chelydridae. The species is one of the heaviest freshwater turtles in the world. It is also the largest freshwater species of turtle in North America....
The Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans ) is a subspecies of the Pond slider, a semiaquatic turtle. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States, is also popular as a pet across the rest of the world, and is the most invasive...
The Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) is the most widespread native turtle of North America. Fossils show that the painted turtle existed 15 million years ago. In the traditional tales of Algonquian tribes, the colorful turtle played the part of a...
The Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. The common name of this species refers to the usually green fat found beneath its carapace, not to the color of its carapace, which is olive to black....
The Galápagos tortoise (Chelonoidis niger) is the largest living species of tortoise. With lifespans in the wild of over 100 years, it is also one of the longest-lived vertebrates. In captivity, these adorable giants can live up to 177 years.
The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta ), is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around 90 cm (35 in) in carapace length when...
The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) is a species of tortoise inhabiting the southern edge of the Sahara desert in Africa. It is the third-largest species of tortoise in the world, the largest mainland species of tortoise, and the...
The Eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina carolina) is a subspecies of the Common box turtle . It is native to the eastern part of the United States and is largely terrestrial. Box turtles are slow crawlers, extremely long-lived, slow to mature,...
The Hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus Eretmochelys. The Hawksbill sea turtle has a global distribution; it lives part...
The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is a species of endemic to the Seychelles. It is one of the largest tortoises in the world. Historically, giant tortoises were found on many of the western Indian Ocean islands, as well as...
The Desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii), is a species of tortoise native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Desert tortoises grow slowly and live about 50 to 80 years. They can tolerate water, salt, and energy imbalances on...
The olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea ), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world....
The Diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) is a species of turtle native to the Northeastern and southern United States, and in Bermuda. It has one of the largest ranges of all turtles in North America, stretching as far south as the Florida...
The yellow-bellied slider (Trachemys scripta scripta ) is a land and water turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. This subspecies of pond slider is native to the southeastern United States, specifically from Florida to southeastern Virginia, and...
The Russian tortoise (Testudo horsfieldii) is a threatened species of tortoise found only in Central Asia. Human activities in its native habitat contribute to its threatened status.
The Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) is one of a group of North American land tortoises that originated 60 million years ago, and is, therefore, one of the oldest species alive today. They are named for their ability to dig big, deep burrows....
The Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox) is a species of softshell turtle native to the Southeastern United States. It is the largest species of softshell turtle found in all of North America.
The black softshell turtle or Bostami turtle (Nilssonia nigricans ), previously placed in genus Aspideretes, is a species of freshwater turtle found in India (Assam and Tripura) and Bangladesh (Chittagong and Sylhet). It was long believed to be...
Hermann's tortoise (Testudo hermanni) is a species of tortoise. It is very popular with pet lovers and is the most common tortoise species kept as a pet, the reason being that they are fascinating and very fun-loving. Hermann's tortoises can mix...
The Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is a threatened tortoise species. Its name comes from the star-like patterns that feature on its high-domed shell. Because of these very distinctive patterns and its highly rounded shell, the Indian star...
The Leopard tortoise (Stigmochelys pardalis) is a large and attractively marked tortoise found in Africa. It is the only extant member of the genus Stigmochelys and is the fourth largest out of the tortoise family. Leopard tortoises are shy and they...
The Red-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonarius) is a species of tortoise found in northern South America. It is closely related to the Yellow-footed tortoise from the Amazon Basin. Red-footed tortoises are popularly kept as pets, and...
Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii ), also called the Atlantic ridley sea turtle, is the rarest species of sea turtle and is the world's most endangered species of sea turtle. It is one of two living species in the genus Lepidochelys (the...
The Wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) is a semi-aquatic species of turtle endemic to North America. It spends a great deal of time in or near the water of wide rivers and spends the winter in hibernation and the hottest parts of the summer in...
Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) is a semi-aquatic turtle native to North America. It is considered to be an endangered species throughout much of its range. Blanding's turtle is of interest in longevity research, as it shows little to no...
The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei ; simplified Chinese: 斑鳖; traditional Chinese: 斑鱉; pinyin: bānbiē ), also known as the Red River giant softshell turtle, the Shanghai softshell turtle, the speckled softshell turtle, and Swinhoe's...
The spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera ) is a species of softshell turtle, one of the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Both the common name, spiny softshell, and the specific name, spinifera (spine-bearing), refer to the...
The Chinese softshell turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis ) is a species of softshell turtle that is native to China (Inner Mongolia to Guangxi, including Hong Kong) and Taiwan, with records of escapees—some of which have established introduced...
The mata mata, mata-mata, or matamata (Chelus fimbriata ) is a freshwater turtle species found in South America, primarily in the Amazon and Orinoco basins. It is one of two extant species in the genus Chelus, the other being Chelus orinocensis.
The ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata ornata ) is one of only two terrestrial species of turtles native to the Great Plains of the United States. It is one of the two different subspecies of Terrapene ornata. It is the state reptile of Kansas. It...
The Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca) is one of five species of Mediterranean tortoises. It is named for the patterns on its shell, which have different colored dots, and the borders of a traditional Greek mosaic. The Greek tortoise is a very...
The Eastern long-necked turtle (Chelodina longicollis) is a species of snake-necked turtle found in Australia. It lives in a wide variety of water bodies and is an opportunistic feeder. It is a side-necked turtle, meaning that it bends its head...
Pond sliders (Trachemys scripta) are medium-sized, semiaquatic turtles found in North America. Their name 'slider' comes from the behavior of these turtles when startled. Groups of sliders often bask and sun on logs, branches, and vegetation at or...
The pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta ), also known as the pitted-shelled turtle or Fly River turtle, is a species of turtle native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. It is the only living member of the family Carettochelyidae,...
The radiated tortoise (Astrochelys radiata ) is a tortoise species in the family Testudinidae. Although this species is native to and most abundant in southern Madagascar, it can also be found in the rest of this island, and has been introduced to...
Sternotherus odoratus is a species of small turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to southeastern Canada and much of the Eastern United States. It is also known commonly as the common musk turtle, eastern musk turtle, or stinkpot...
The Common box turtle is a species of a box turtle that lives in the Eastern United States and Mexico. This turtle gets its common name from the structure of its shell which consists of a high domed carapace (upper shell), and a large, hinged...
The spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata ), the only species of the genus Clemmys, is a small, semi-aquatic turtle that reaches a carapace length of 8–12 cm (3.1–4.7 in) upon adulthood. Their broad, smooth, low dark-colored upper shell, or carapace,...
The river cooter (Pseudemys concinna ) is a species of freshwater turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is native to the central and eastern United States.
The northern map turtle (Graptemys geographica ), also known as the common map turtle, is an aquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. It is endemic to North America.
The bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii ) is a critically endangered species of semiaquatic turtle in the family Emydidae. The species is endemic to the eastern United States. It was first scientifically described in 1801 after an 18th-century survey...
