What is the difference between a turtle and a tortoise?

[madinmaryland]

Just asking?

[KitchenWitch]

1. Size?

I have no clue.

[SallyMander]

2. The simplest way to think of it is

turtles are marine -- they have flippers




tortoises live on land -- they have elephant-feet :)





there is also a third group called terrapins -- they are generally aquatic and have clawed, webbed feet




Edit to add pics!

[TZ]

5. Here's another example of a terrapin

Now thats my kind of reptile--> Go Terps!

[Shakespeare]

3. Same as the difference between frogs and toads, respectively.

One lives in water, the other on land.

[SallyMander]

6. Actually toads just refers to a particular family

Bufonidae (yup i'm a nerd). They generally have drier, "wartier" skin than other families of frogs.

Frogs and toads both have an aquatic larval phase, and then most spend their adult life on land. :)


Edit to add pic of a true toad:




Versus pic of a Ranid (true frog) :

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. The taste!

Absolutely.

[dropkickpa]

7. pics

Green Sea Turtle


Galapagos tortoise


Diamondback Terrapin

[TZ]

8. ooh the diamondback terrapin is BEAUTIFUL

Even though its my alma mater's symbol and the state reptile of Maryland I never really saw a good picture of them..(our University newspaper was "The Diamondback", FYI)

[dropkickpa]

9. Isn't it?

My old supervisor is a turtle maniac and he's the one that introduced me to it.

[madmom]

10. I was raised in Maryland, and could never understand why they

used a terrapin as their mascot. I'm not into sports but that just doesn't work in my minds eye.