Teacher Resources General Information Turtles and tortoises Turtles and tortoises first evolved over 200 million years ago, and they have changed little since then.
Turtles usually live in or close to water, and tortoises live in dry places.
Sea Turtles Sea turtles are graceful saltwater reptiles, well adapted to life in their marine world. With streamlined bodies and flipper-like limbs, they are able to swim long distances in a relatively short time. Unlike land turtles who have a reputation of being slow-moving, sea turtles are fast, graceful animals in the sea. An Introduction Sea turtles are large, air-breathing reptiles that inhabit tropicaland subtropical seas throughout the world. Sea Turtle Behaviour Sea turtles are generally solitary creatures that remain submerged for much of the time they are at sea, which makes them extremely difficult to study.