What do turtles look like

Turtles are not quick, nor are they proficient climbers or diggers. Simply erecting a sturdy fence should keep them out of yards, though avoiding the addition of water features and ponds when landscaping can prevent attracting them in the first place. Freshly turned soil may also draw turtles into yards, as they use gardens and flowerbeds for laying eggs. Removal should not be undertaken lightly. Some species are protected by law, while snapping turtles can prove dangerous if threatened.

The safest approach to identifying and managing turtles in the yard is to call the professionals at Critter Control. What Does a Turtle Look Like? Loggerheads generally hatch between late June and mid-November , and typically nest near the Gulf Stream or Gulf of Mexico.

Photo of a bale of just hatched loggerheads by Dawn Child, U. Geological Survey. Nothing bland about this turtle! For a freshwater turtle, it has one of the longest lifespans, living to be about 70 years old -- an age comparable to sea turtles.

Like some other turtle species, a Blanding's gender is determined by the temperature at which nests are incubated -- hotter temperatures lead to females and cooler temps for males. If you see a turtle in the road, make sure to stop and help it out!

Photo by Tina Shaw, U. The box turtle is one restless reptile, often found moving across fields or even roads throughout much of the central and eastern U. If you do see a turtle crossing the road, check out U.

This hinged bottom shell folds up, completely closing the shell. With a range stretching from the Rocky Mountains to the eastern seaboard, the common snapping turtle is an American classic. The second largest freshwater turtle in the U. This creature is nocturnal, and spends most of its day sitting camouflaged at the river bottom waiting for food.

If you do see a snapping turtle on land, watch out! The leatherback sea turtle is the largest turtle -- and one of the largest reptiles -- in the world. This behemoth can weigh up to 2, pounds, stretch over 6. Because the leatherback can handle colder water than most turtles, it has the widest global distribution of all reptile species. The pacific leatherback will often take a 7,mile trans-Pacific journey to move from its nesting grounds to its foraging grounds on the U.

West Coast. Photo by Shannon Borowy, U. Ridley me this! This terrifically tiny turtle calls the Gulf of Mexico home. The largest freshwater turtle in North America is the alligator snapping turtle.

It can grow to 2. The Yangtze giant softshell turtle is the largest softshell turtle. It measures up to 3. One of the smallest turtles is the speckled Cape tortoise, according to the San Diego Zoo. Its shell is 3. It weighs about 5 ounces grams. The top part of the shell is called the carapace, and the bottom is called the plastron, according to the San Diego Zoo. The shell is made up of about 60 bones that are covered by plates called scutes. Scutes are made of keratin, the same material that makes up humans' fingernails.

Many turtles are able to retract their heads and feet into their shells. Turtles are placed in the two suborders based on the method of retraction, according to ADW. Pleurodires pull their heads in sideways; cryptodires draw their heads straight back into the shell. Sea turtles have lost the ability to retract their heads. In The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission had three instances of people who had mistakenly released tortoise hatchlings into the ocean —where the land-dwelling creatures would likely drown.

If you find a turtle you think is in distress, call your state fish and wildlife commission or another professional who can identify the species and will know how to handle the circumstances. These reptiles did okay for millions of years without people, Madrak points out. All rights reserved.

People are prone to stereotyping, but we love it when someone flips the script. Turtle or tortoise? The end. Have a question about the weird and wild world?

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