Tortoise or turtle?
How to tell them apart
All tortoises are turtles, but tortoises are the land specialists, with column-like legs and elephant-like feet instead of flippers.
Quick answers
They differ on 2 of the 8 quick answers: carnivore, hibernates.
| Question | Tortoise | Turtle |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Reptile | Reptile |
| Carnivore? differs | No, herbivore | Omnivore |
| Dangerous? | No | No |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Daytime | Daytime |
| Hibernates? differs | Yes | No |
| Kept as a pet? | Sometimes | Sometimes |
| Do people eat it? | In places | In places |
At a glance
| Question | Tortoise | Turtle |
|---|---|---|
| Found in differs | Worldwide | Oceans, Worldwide |
| Habitat differs | Grassland, Desert, Scrub, Forest | Rivers & lakes, Open ocean, Coast, Wetland |
| Size differs | Medium | Large |
| Length differs | Up to more than 1.2 m (Galápagos giant tortoise) | Up to over 2.7 m (leatherback turtle) |
| Weight differs | Over 100 kg (Galápagos and Aldabra giant tortoises) | Up to over 500 kg (leatherback turtle) |
| Legs | 4 | 4 |
| Covered in | Shell | Shell |
| Lives | Alone | Alone |
| Lives for differs | 80–150 years | 50–100 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims differs | No | Yes |
| Lays eggs | Yes | Yes |
About each
Tortoise
Land-living turtles with domed shells and column-like, elephant-like legs. They are slow, placid plant-eaters, and most species can live 80–150 years.
Everything on the tortoise page
Turtle
Shelled reptiles, about 360 species, including land-living tortoises, freshwater terrapins and sea turtles. Sea turtles are the only reptiles that migrate long distances to lay their eggs.
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.