Species group · Reptiles

Turtles and Tortoises

WAnimals has 41 species of turtle, spread across 13 families (Carettochelyidae, Chelidae, Cheloniidae, Chelydridae, Dermochelyidae, Emydidae, Geoemydidae, Kinosternidae, Pelomedusidae, Platysternidae, Podocnemididae, Testudinidae, Trionychidae).

41 species

13 families

216 countries

409 parks

Weight: 200 g – 900 kg
Length: 8 cm – 2.4 m
Lifespan: 25 – 150 years

Ranges calculated from the entries that record the figure, not from all 41.

All 41 species of turtles and tortoises on WAnimals

Each one has its own full entry. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Endangered

Green Turtle

Chelonia mydas

150 countries70 parks400 dive sites

Critically Endangered

Hawksbill Turtle

Eretmochelys imbricata

114 countries51 parks376 dive sites

Vulnerable

Loggerhead Turtle

Caretta caretta

94 countries7 parks174 dive sites

Vulnerable

Leatherback Sea Turtle

Dermochelys coriacea

118 countries6 parks18 dive sites

Least Concern

Common Snapping Turtle

Chelydra serpentina

10 countries28 parks7 dive sites

Vulnerable

Olive Ridley

Lepidochelys olivacea

90 countries6 parks23 dive sites

Vulnerable

Floreana Giant Tortoise

Chelonoidis niger

1 country1 park

Vulnerable

Aldabra Giant Tortoise

Aldabrachelys gigantea

2 countries1 park1 dive site

Vulnerable

Mojave Desert Tortoise

Gopherus agassizii

3 countries4 parks

Critically Endangered

Kemp's Ridley

Lepidochelys kempii

15 countries8 parks8 dive sites

Least Concern

Painted Turtle

Chrysemys picta

3 countries28 parks4 dive sites

Least Concern

Common Musk Turtle

Sternotherus odoratus

2 countries26 parks7 dive sites

Least Concern

Pond Slider

Trachemys scripta

79 countries25 parks4 dive sites

Data Deficient

Flatback

Natator depressus

3 countries8 parks4 dive sites

Endangered

Blanding's Turtle

Emydoidea blandingii

2 countries11 parks3 dive sites

Least Concern

Northern Map Turtle

Graptemys geographica

2 countries12 parks4 dive sites

Least Concern

Spiny Softshell Turtle

Apalone spinifera

3 countries28 parks7 dive sites

Least Concern

Eastern Mud Turtle

Kinosternon subrubrum

1 country13 parks3 dive sites

Vulnerable

Diamondback Terrapin

Malaclemys terrapin

2 countries5 parks2 dive sites

Near Threatened

Hermann's Tortoise

Testudo hermanni

30 countries30 parks

Vulnerable

Red-Footed Tortoise

Chelonoidis carbonarius

10 countries44 parks

Least Concern

Leopard Tortoise

Stigmochelys pardalis

43 countries45 parks

Endangered

African Spurred Tortoise

Centrochelys sulcata

43 countries17 parks

Vulnerable

Steppe Tortoise

Testudo horsfieldii

9 countries12 parks

Endangered

Southeast Asian Box Turtle

Cuora amboinensis

15 countries25 parks

Least Concern

Helmeted Turtle

Pelomedusa subrufa

13 countries39 parks

Critically Endangered

Giant South American River Turtle

Podocnemis expansa

12 countries9 parks

Vulnerable

Common Tortoise

Testudo graeca

38 countries44 parks

Vulnerable

Indian Star Tortoise

Geochelone elegans

7 countries12 parks

Critically Endangered

Pancake Tortoise

Malacochersus tornieri

24 countries14 parks

Vulnerable

Chinese Softshell Turtle

Pelodiscus sinensis

11 countries17 parks

Vulnerable

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Macrochelys temminckii

1 country17 parks1 dive site

Critically Endangered

Big-headed Turtle

Platysternon megacephalum

6 countries5 parks

Vulnerable

Eastern Box Turtle

Terrapene carolina

2 countries12 parks

Least Concern

Hilaire's Side-necked Turtle

Phrynops hilarii

4 countries20 parks

Endangered

Pig-Nosed Turtle

Carettochelys insculpta

3 countries5 parks

Least Concern

Eastern Snake-necked Turtle

Chelodina longicollis

1 country19 parks

Vulnerable

Gopher Tortoise

Gopherus polyphemus

1 country3 parks

Critically Endangered

Northern River Terrapin

Batagur baska

8 countries2 parks

Critically Endangered

Radiated Tortoise

Astrochelys radiata

1 country1 park

Critically Endangered

Burmese Star Tortoise

Geochelone platynota

1 country1 park

Conservation status

15 Vulnerable11 Least Concern8 Critically Endangered5 Endangered1 Data Deficient1 Near Threatened

28 especies in this group están en alguna categoría de riesgo real según la UICN.

See the global conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 216 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…

Fewer than 1 in 1,000 hatchlings reaches adulthood.
From Green Turtle
A female can lay between 75 and 200 eggs per clutch, with up to 9 clutches in a season.
From Green Turtle
It returns to nest on the very beach where it hatched, a phenomenon known as natal philopatry.
From Green Turtle
It feeds mainly on sea sponges that are toxic to most other animals, and stores those toxins in its own tissues with no apparent harm.
From Hawksbill Turtle
It is the only marine consumer whose diet consists mainly of sponges, which makes it a keystone in the balance of the reef.
From Hawksbill Turtle
Even surrounded by dozens of sponge species, it selects only a handful of them: its dietary specificity is extremely fine.
From Hawksbill Turtle
It nests on beaches in both the eastern and western Mediterranean, and hatchlings from a single clutch may disperse to very different feeding grounds in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean itself.
From Loggerhead Turtle
It is the largest hard-shelled turtle in the world; only the leatherback, with its leathery shell, is bigger.
From Loggerhead Turtle

Ecosystems

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