With tortoises becoming increasingly popular pets it is our goal to make available all the tortoise facts one could possibly need. There are many species of tortoise and they share the same taxonomy as other turtles until it gets down to the Suborder level. Tortoises are land-dwelling reptiles of the Testudines Order. Like other reptiles, they are cold-blooded and use the surrounding sun and shade to regulate their body temperature. Aside from drinking water, tortoises will avoid water and do not swim. There are a variety of different sizes and tortoises can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Their skeletal systems contain both an endoskeleton and exoskeleton. The top of the shell (the carapace) developed from extensions of the backbone while the bottom shell (the plastron) came from a broadening of the ribs.
All tortoise species lay eggs and the females dig nesting burrows where they lay 1-30 eggs depending on the species. Egg incubation takes between 60-120 days and in most cases the incubation temperature, during a small window of the embryonic development, determines the sex of the hatchling. Embryos will attach themselves to the top of the inner egg shell, so it is important not to turn over a tortoise egg in incubation. Hatchlings have an egg tooth they can use to help free themselves from their egg and emerge into the world. For the first 3-7 days, the hatchlings will feed off of the embryonic sac until the hatchling has the strength to venture from the nesting burrow.
Tortoises have lifespans between 80 and 150 years. The longest recorded lifespan was 188 years by a tortoise named Tui Malila. Tui Malila was given to the Tongan royal family by a british explorer named Captain Cook after its birth in 1777. The tortoise remained in the family until its death in 1965. The only other vertibrate in the world to live longer was a koi fish named Hanako, which lived to be 226 years old. There was a tortoise in India that was believed to be 250 years old but records on the tortoise only varified 130 years of its life.
If you are thinking of keeping a tortoise as a pet it is important that you study up on the particular species of tortoise you are interested in because toroises come from all parts of the world including dry deserts and the Russian tundra. While some tortoises are carnivorous, most are herbivorous. However, it is not uncommon for juvenile tortoises to eat bugs and worms for the additional protein. Many adult tortoises eat leafy greens, grasses, and some fruit, but it is important for all tortoises to eat a varied and well rounded diet. Both in the wild and in captivity, tortoises are susceptible to parasites, abscesses, pneumonia, egg-binding, kidney and liver disease, and colic. It is important that pet tortoises be seen by a veterinarian each spring and autumn. It is also important that you get your tortoise facts straight, because species that are native to regions around the equator may not hibernate, while other species may hibernate up to 8 months out of the year. Some owners have been known to hibernate their tortoises in the refrigerator. As with other turtle species, tortoises can hibernate in sub freezing temperatures without their blood freezing, however I would never recommend putting any turtle in a freezer.
If owning a tortoise or turtle interests you, I would advise that you do your research. These are great animals and can be great pets, but be sure you learn as much as you can about the species you are interested in and get your turtle checked by a veterinarian regularly. Also, keep checking in on our site to get all of your tortoise facts!
