Turtles are slow. They live a long time, and they have beautiful shells, but how much else do you know about turtles? Amaze your friends with these turtle facts.

1. Turtles, as opposed to tortoises, live in or around water. Some varieties only leave the water to lay eggs.

2. A turtle’s shell is made of bone, made of keratin, a substance rather like a human fingernail. The shell consists of sections. As the turtle grows, new layers of keratin are formed between the sections.

3. Turtle fossils have been found linking them to the Triassic Period, about 230 million years ago.

4. Turtle are present in the mythology of many civilizations. The Chinese, for instance, around 2500 B.C. favored a symbol of a snake entwined with a turtle to ward off evil spirits.

5. In ancient Japan, turtles were considered a symbol of happiness and good fortune.

6. In the year 456 B.C., the Greek playwright, Aeschylus was killed when a turtle was dropped on his head by an eagle. Generally, however, turtles are quiet, docile companions.

7. Turtles are cold-blooded. They need an external heat source. If they get too cool, they can’t digest their food and may hibernate.

8. Some types of turtles, such as the leatherback turtle can swim at speeds up to 23 miles per hour.

9. Turtles can be herbivores (vegetable eaters), carnivores (meat-eaters), or insectivores (insect eaters).

By Sandy Mitchell