Extreme Chelonians (Turtles & Tortoises) Quiz

Answer: Leatherback sea turtle

The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest sea (marine) turtle, the largest (true) turtle, and the largest chelonian. Like all reptiles, sea turtles breathe air. Females return to the beach to lay their eggs, but once a male sea turtle hatches and enters the ocean, it will likely never step on land again. Because of their high metabolic rate, leatherbacks have a body temperature that is noticeably higher than that of the surrounding water, even though they are ectotherms (cold-blooded creatures), as are all reptiles.

§ NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY: "Turtle" or "true turtle" in the USA refers to all aquatic and semi-aquatic chelonians, whereas in the UK it often means specifically sea turtles. In the USA, "turtle" is often incorrectly used as the umbrella term, but the international scientific choice is "chelonian" for the order Chelonii, or "testudine" for the order Testudines (both terms are in use by scientists and refer to all turtles, tortoises, and terrapins).

Answer: Alligator snapping turtle

The alligator snapping turtle (Macrochelys temminckii) has immensely powerful jaws and long, springy neck, not to mention distinct ridges on its carapace (shell) that resemble an alligator's (and actually they resemble an ankylosaur). Many snapping turtles have been known to bite for no reason at all and not let go; they can snap human fingers off. Be careful when you are in fresh water in the southeastern USA, especially the waters of the Florida Panhandle and western Kentucky, and even the Gavins Point Dam at Yankton, South Dakota. The largest alligator snapping turtle was reported in Kansas in 1937, at 403 pounds (183 kg).

§ NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY: In the UK, freshwater turtles (as opposed to sea turtles, also called marine turtles) are often referred to as "terrapins", whereas in the USA, "terrapin" is used for specific semi-aquatic turtle species, and the water may be fresh or brackish.

Answer: Galápagos giant tortoise

The Galápagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra) resides in the Galápagos Islands, an archipelago of seven volcanic islands some 620 miles (1000 km) off the coast of Ecuador. The word "galápago" means "giant tortoise" in Spanish, so we are really saying the "the tortoise giant tortoises of the tortoise islands"!

These giant tortoises may grow to 500-800 pounds (300-400 kg) and as long as four to six feet (1-2 m) long (accounts vary). They sleep 16 hours a day, and their slow metabolism and ability to store large volumes of water allows them to survive for up to a year without food or drink.

A Galápagos tortoise named Harriet died of heart failure at the age of 175 years in June 2006 at a zoo owned by the late Steve Irwin, naturalist extraordinaire. Harriet was considered the last living representative of Darwin's epic voyage on the HMS Beagle to the Galápagos. (She does not, however, hold the record as the oldest tortoise.) Lonesome George of the subspecies Ch. n. abingdonii of Pinta Island died in June 2012; his subspecies died with him.

Answer: Speckled padloper (or speckled cape tortoise)

The speckled padloper (Chersobius signatus) lives on the rocky outcrops of an arid part of western South Africa called Little Namaqualand, where it forages for tiny succulent plants. Also called the speckled cape tortoise, it grows to a mere 2-1/2 to 3 inches (6-8 cm) down its carapace (shell), and the males are smaller than the females. Their numbers are dwindling because the females lay but one egg per summer.

§ NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY: "Tortoise" in both the UK and USA generally refers to chelonians who live primarily on land and keep a water supply in their shell. They have their own family, Testudinidae, in the order Chelonii (or Testudines).

Answer: bog turtle

Bog turtles (Clemmys muhlenbergii) thrive in freshwater fens, wet meadows, marshes, spring seeps, and wet cow pasture -- and of course, bogs. In other words, they like an environment with patches of grassy vegetation, frequent flooding, few trees or shrubs, and lots of lime and/or calcium.

Sometimes called the Eastern or North American bog turtle, it is the smallest of all true turtles, with a carapace (shell) of around 4 inches (10 cm). It is the rarest freshwater turtle in North America, due to habitat loss along its spotty range, confined to New York, Maryland and a handful of other US states.

Answer: Olive ridley sea turtle

The olive ridley turtles grow around two feet long and inhabit the warm waters of the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. These turtles are best known for their unique mass nesting called "arribada", during which thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs.

§ ZOOLOGICAL NOTE: Of the two extant species of ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys), some sources name Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) as the smallest species, and some name the olive ridley sea turtle (L. olivacea). One important distinction is that Kemp's is the rarest of sea turtles, whereas the olive is the most abundant.

Answer: African spurred tortoise

The African spurred tortoise (Centrochelys sulcata) sports some intimidating "spurs" along its forelegs. It inhabits the southern edge of the Sahara desert and the Sahel region if semi-arid grasslands and thorny scrublands. C. sulcata is the largest mainland tortoise and the third-largest tortoise on Earth (the larger Galápagos and Aldabra giant tortoises being island-dwellers). Over a lifespan of 50-100 years, they can grow to about 2-3 feet (60-90 cm) long. Unfortunately, their popularity in the pet trade has made them a vulnerable species in the wild according to the IUCN. The tortoise's scientific name comes from the Latin word 'sulcus' ("furrow"), after the many furrows on the its scales.

§ ETYMOLOGICAL NOTE: The word 'testudine' comes from the Latin word 'testūdō' ("tortoise"), and 'Chelonian' comes from the Greek 'khelōnē', also "tortoise".

Answer: Seychelles giant tortoise

The Seychelles giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea hololissa) is a subspecies of the Aldabra giant tortoise (A. gigantea). Brownish-grey, it is broad, with a flattened shell with raised scutes (bony external plates). As its name suggests, it inhabits the Seychelles, an archipelago country of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, north of Madagascar.

British seamen brought young Adwaita as a present to Robert Clive of the British East India Company in the 18th century. Adwaita arrived at the Calcutta (now Kolkata) Zoo in India in 1875. At his death in March 2006 at the Kolkata Zoo, Adwaita reached the longest ever measured life span of 255 years (having been born in 1750). Consider this: he was born before the American Revolution, during the reign of King George II, a year before the U.S. president James Madison was born, and six years before the Seven Years' War.

All the giant tortoise species, both island- and mainland-dwellers, tend to be long-lived; reaching a century is achievable, although 40-50 years is more typical in the wild.

Answer: Golden coin turtle

The golden coin turtle (Cuora trifasciata), or Chinese three-striped box turtle, is native to southern China and northern Vietnam. A semi-aquatic species, it swims in clear mountain streams and other sub-tropical to temperate waters. Its carapace has an attractive, brightly colored, contrasting pattern of brown with three distinct black stripes, but that's not why it's so expensive.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the golden coin turtle's plastron (lower shell) is pulverized and made into the dessert 'guīlínggāo'. The belief that this dessert prevents and cures cancer has increased demand for the turtle exponentially in the 21st century. The turtle is so endangered in the wild that it is raised on farms, where each individual in 2008 was worth about $1800 (US), although online vendors could ask over $3000 apiece. (To compare, a keeled box turtle sold as a pet cost about $80, and a Chinese softshell turtle raised for food went for about $7.)

Answer: Mata-mata turtle

The mata-mata (Chelus fimbriata) has a large, triangular, flattened head that resembles a large leaf, and a shell like a large piece of bark, but uglier. On its head are various tubercles (warty outgrowths) and flaps of skin; on its long, tubular snout, a "horn"; and on its chin three barbels. Whereas most turtles pull their head straight in and out of their shell, the mata-mata retracts its head sideways, sort of snake-like. It lies motionless underwater, its skin flaps camouflaging it. It breathes through a tubular snout that sticks out of the water like a snorkel. When fish approach, the mata-mata employs suction feeding: with head thrust out, it opens its large mouth as wide as possible to create a vacuum that sucks the hapless prey into its mouth.

Mata-mata means "Kill! Kill!" in Spanish, and regrettably in some South American cultures, unattractive women are called "matamatas". They grow up to 33 pounds (15 kg) and 20 inches (51 cm) long.