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Differences between turtles and tortoises include:

  • Turtles primarily live in water (fresh water and oceans) and so have webbed front feet or flipper-like fins to make swimming easier.
  • Tortoises live almost exclusively on land, so do not have flippers, but normal feet without webbing, often with sharp claws for digging. They only enter water to drink or wash themselves off, and can in fact drown in strong currents. They may be found in arid areas.
  • Turtles tend to have flatter shells than tortoises, while tortoises have a more domed shell.
  • Turtles can be omnivorous, eating both plants and insects; tortoises eat only plants and leaves and other vegetation, so they are herbivorous, especially preferring moisture-bearing vegtation.
  • Turtles can migrate from one place to another, swimming mighty oceans; tortoises tend to stay in one area.
  • Baby tortoises move from their nest to their mother's burrow very soon after hatching. Turtles stay in the original nest for 90-100 days.
  • Tortoises have a much longer life span (80-150 years) than turtles (20-40 years)
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9y ago

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