Did you know that turtles never take their shells off?  They have to wear the same thing everyday.  Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if it actually was a shell. 

You see, the shell is part of the turtle’s body, just like your stomach or back.  But instead of having their bones on the inside, their protective bones are on the outside. 

The turtle’s shell is made out of bone like your back bone and ribs.  These bones fit together tightly in flat pieces.  There is also a covering on the shell to protect the bone-like material called, keratin.  Keratin is made up of the same material as your finger nails and hair.

Turtles can pull their head, legs, and tail into their shell.  I bet they would win a game of hide and seek, but I can’t imagine that there is much room with all those body parts in there. 

Turtles can live for a very long time, though this depends on the type of  turtle.  There are some turtles that live past 100 years old, like the American Box Turtle or the Giant Tortoise. 

You can find a turtle or tortoise just about anywhere.  The only place you won’t find a turtle or tortoise is in Antarctica.  It’s just too cold. 

Today, turtles and tortoises don’t have teeth.  However, scientists have discovered that fossils of the earliest turtles did have teeth.  But these turtles couldn’t pull their heads into their shells.   

A turtle’s favorite thing to eat is naughty children!  Not really.  Turtles like to eat flowers, leaves, vegetables, and fruits.  They even like cabbage, lettuce, and carrots the best.  

You may want to think about keeping a turtle under the dinner table, so next time mom says, “Eat all your veggies,” you can just give them to your friend the turtle.