While most turtles can retract their heads and limbs into their shells, being able to seal these body parts within is an effective defense against predation. Several animals, from coyotes to ...

You wouldn’t normally see the words “turtle” and “lightning-fast” in the same sentence, but common snapping turtles have ...

Sea turtles can't retract into their shells like other turtles. Instead, they have evolved streamlined, flattened shells and large paddle-shaped flippers to help them swim quickly and gracefully ...

They earned their name because they cannot fully retract their heads into their shells and instead tuck them to the side. Sidenecks are relatively large turtles, capable of living for several decades.

Turtles have a lower shell, called a plastron, and an upper shell, or carapace. In hard-shelled turtle species, the shells are made up of bony plates that are covered with scale-like “scutes.” The ...