In cartoons, when a turtle is spooked, it retreats into and closes up its shell. While used for comic effect, this imagery is based in fact – although not all turtles are capable of this protective ...

Cartoons often suggest turtles wear shells like removable armor. Those stories show turtles stepping out, swapping shells, or treating them like clothing. Biology disagrees. A turtle shell is not an ...

A recent tragedy occurred in Indian River County, Florida when an elderly man tried to save a turtle. The reptile was slowly creeping across I-95 when an 87-year-old Vermont native attempted to help ...

When we picture sea turtles in the wild, it's easy to envision them as armored warriors—their hard, resilient shells serving as near-impenetrable shields against oceanic threats like sharks. These ...

A Kemp's ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) swims in a pond at the Submarine Museum after being rescued from a fishing net where it lost a flipper in Isla de Margarita, Nueva Esparta state, ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The broad-shelled river turtle (Chelodina expansa) falls into a group known as side-neck turtles.

Blanding's turtle is a threatened species in Iowa. (Photo courtesy of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources) Iowa is home to 13 wild turtle species, nearly all of which are in need of conservation ...