July 05, 2018

Are Turtles Reptiles?

Turtles have much in common with both amphibians and reptiles.

After all, sea turtles live in water just like frogs and salamanders.

Salamanders look much like lizards while frogs are somewhat unique.

Turtles, frogs, salamanders, and lizards typically have four legs, a tail at some life stages and require water to live.

Of course, a lizard is more clearly a reptile because we know some lizards exist in arid regions where even a frog would not survive.

Frogs need most skin to live, so we can identify them more easily as well.

Is a turtle a reptile, then?  Are turtles reptiles if they belong to a partial-land-dwelling category, or are some turtles amphibians? The answer is below the image.

Lizards And Iguanas Are Examples Of Reptiles;

All Turtles Are ...

The actual answer is that all turtles are reptiles in spite of the similarities with some amphibians. The reptile group also includes snakes and lizards. Some amphibians include frogs and salamanders. Reptiles have these characteristics and if you think about it, you will notice that turtles have these:

• They are covered in scales of some kind
• They have spines with vertebrae
• They breathe with lungs
• Most cannot regulate their body temperature to stay warm
• Most lay eggs

A Frog Is An Example Of An Amphibian;

What Makes Turtles Different?

Turtle scales cover parts of their skin and their shell although they may not look as distinct as those of snakes or lizards.

Turtles do breathe with lungs and although most can dive deep, especially sea turtles, they cannot live underwater without ever surfacing.

Turtles cannot regulate their temperature and are therefore mostly cold-blooded. 

Turtles lay eggs just like snakes. When you consider the issue of egg-laying, of course, there are fish that lay eggs underwater.

Turtles must come out of the water and dig burrows or nests in order to lay their eggs, so this keeps them firmly in the reptile category.

The Answer

All turtles are reptiles.

Still confused? Watch the video below about reptiles.

A Sea Turtles;

Video Explanation Of Reptiles

Still not sure what a reptile is? are you a visual person? check out this video.

This video is specifically dedicated to teach you what classifies as a reptile.

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