According to Britannica.com
"All tortoises are in fact turtles—that is, they belong to the order Testudines or Chelonia, reptiles having bodies encased in a bony shell—but not all turtles are tortoises. The most important thing to remember about tortoises is that they are exclusively land creatures.However, not all land turtles are tortoises; thus, box turtles and wood turtles have been called tortoises, though they are not considered tortoises today. But that’s a matter for another day."
Now for a funny story :) My daughter in law knew I wanted a tortoise, a friend of a friend had two for free! I jumped at the chance! This person asked if I was sure I wanted them as she didn't want them back. My daughter in law was going to collect them as we were going to be away, I assured her tortoises were easy to look after especially in summer. I talked to my son about making a pen in the back garden for day time and my grand daughter was so excited. My son phoned to say they had set everything up in my house, then my daughter who was looking after my plants, phoned me and said "It's not a tortoise it's a turtle!"
According to Pet Education
"The terms 'turtle,' 'tortoise,' and 'terrapin' are often used interchangeably, and depending on which country you are in, may describe a completely different type of 'turtle.'
"All tortoises are in fact turtles—that is, they belong to the order Testudines or Chelonia, reptiles having bodies encased in a bony shell—but not all turtles are tortoises. The most important thing to remember about tortoises is that they are exclusively land creatures.However, not all land turtles are tortoises; thus, box turtles and wood turtles have been called tortoises, though they are not considered tortoises today. But that’s a matter for another day."
Now for a funny story :) My daughter in law knew I wanted a tortoise, a friend of a friend had two for free! I jumped at the chance! This person asked if I was sure I wanted them as she didn't want them back. My daughter in law was going to collect them as we were going to be away, I assured her tortoises were easy to look after especially in summer. I talked to my son about making a pen in the back garden for day time and my grand daughter was so excited. My son phoned to say they had set everything up in my house, then my daughter who was looking after my plants, phoned me and said "It's not a tortoise it's a turtle!"
According to Pet Education
"The terms 'turtle,' 'tortoise,' and 'terrapin' are often used interchangeably, and depending on which country you are in, may describe a completely different type of 'turtle.'
For most Americans, the term 'turtle' describes the Chelonians that are aquatic or semi-aquatic. The term 'tortoise' describes a Chelonian that lives primarily on land. 'Terrapin' can describe some freshwater or saltwater turtles, but is not often used.
If you were in Australia, you might call all of the turtles 'tortoises,' and in Britain, a 'turtle' would mean a saltwater species and a 'terrapin' would be a freshwater species. Are you confused yet? "
The Polish language only as one word also, hence the confusion. I now have a turtle (one died before they were collected), which I hope to find a good home for.
If you have a tortoise or turtle or any other kind of pet we would love to see some photographs.
We are going to try something new this month. You can vote for your favourite pet pic on this link-up.
