Turtle vs Tortoise: How to Tell Them Apart

Where you find the animal is the number one clue. If it is in water, it is a turtle. Turtles spend most time swimming in ponds, lakes, rivers, or marshes. Look at their feet next. Turtle feet are webbed or flipper-like. They paddle through water. Tortoise feet are thick and stumpy, built for walking on hard ground. Their toenails are long and made for digging. The shell is the third tell. Turtle shells are streamlined and flat, almost like a boat hull. Tortoise shells are heavy and domed, shaped like a dome or half-sphere. Touch the shell if you can. A turtle shell feels smoother. A tortoise shell feels bumpy and textured. You can usually tell from 20 feet away.

Most turtles in the US range from about 4 inches to 2 feet long, though some species get larger. Painted turtles and slider turtles are small to medium. Snapping turtles are the heavyweights, reaching 1 to 2 feet. Tortoises are generally slower growers. Desert tortoises in the southwest range from 8 inches to about 15 inches long. Gopher tortoises in the south reach 8 to 12 inches. Russian tortoises can be similar sizes. Tortoises weigh more relative to their size because of their thick, heavy shells. A turtle shell is lighter to allow swimming. A tortoise shell is like wearing armor. Their legs are much thicker and more muscular to support the weight on land.

Turtles live across the country wherever water exists. You can find them in almost every state with ponds, lakes, swamps, or rivers. Snapping turtles and painted turtles are common in northern and central states. Red-eared sliders are widespread after people released pets. Terrapins live in coastal areas. Tortoises are more regional. Desert tortoises live in Arizona, southern Nevada, and parts of California and Utah. Gopher tortoises live in sandy habitats of Florida and the southeast. You will not find a tortoise in the northeast or midwest. If you see a shell-bearing reptile in a northern state in water, it is definitely a turtle. The overlap is small. Tortoises and turtles rarely live in the same place, which makes identification easy once you know the habitat.

Turtles are active swimmers and spend hours in water. They climb onto rocks and logs to bask in the sun, warming their bodies. When scared, they dive underwater and hide. Turtles explore their water habitats constantly. Tortoises are slow walkers and rarely enter water. They spend time grazing on plants and grasses. A tortoise moves like a tank, steady but unhurried. When threatened, they pull inside their shells and wait. Some tortoises burrow to escape heat. In summer, they may hide in burrows for hours. Turtles are faster and more skittish. Tortoises are calm and methodical. If you watch movement, a turtle zips through water while a tortoise plods forward on land.

Start with location. Were you near water? A pond, lake, river, or swamp? If yes, it was a turtle. Check wildlife guides for your area. Were you in a dry, open area? Desert, grassland, or sandy ground? It could be a tortoise. Look at the shell if you remember the details. Smooth and streamlined means turtle. Bumpy and domed means tortoise. Did you see it move? Turtles swim and dive. Tortoises walk slowly on ground. Use your state to narrow it down. The northeast, midwest, and Pacific coast have turtles but no wild tortoises. The southwest and Florida have both, but tortoises only in specific regions. Time of year matters too. Turtles are active year-round if water does not freeze. Tortoises retreat in winter. A shell you see in a frozen northern state in winter was a turtle, probably hibernating underwater.

One myth is that all shelled reptiles are turtles. That is wrong. Tortoises are their own group. Another myth is that turtles live on land and tortoises in water. It is backwards. Turtles are the water specialists. A second mix-up involves terrapins. Terrapins are actually turtles that live in brackish water. The word means a type of turtle, not a separate animal. People also think tortoises can live in water. Most tortoises avoid water and can drown if forced to swim. Their heavy shells pull them down. A third myth is that you can tell them apart only by the shell. You can, but habitat and feet are easier. Most people see a turtle in water and a tortoise on land and never need to look closer. Another false belief is that all shelled reptiles are slow. Turtles are fast swimmers and quick when moving on land briefly.