World Turtle Day: What You Never Knew About The Mysterious Creature

Check out some fun facts about the cold-blooded reptile.

1. A turtle’s shell is a part of its skeleton. Their shells are made up of over 50 bones.

2. Turtles date back to the time of dinosaurs—more than 200 million years ago.

3. Some turtles are carnivores (meat-eaters), others are herbivores (plant-eaters), and then there are those who are omnivores (both). Their diets depend on the environment they live in.

4. Sea turtles have special glands that remove salt from the water they drink.

5. In addition to the shell we can easily see, turtles also have a lower shell called “plastron.”

6. Some turtles can hide their heads in their shells when predators attack—but not all turtle species have this trick up their sleeves.

7. It is a myth that a turtle can come out of its shell—a turtle’s shell grows with the turtle.