The largest turtle (heaviest, longest) – Top 10 The first turtle appeared on Earth 220 million years ago, so it is one of the oldest animals.
Currently, there are 228 species and 124 subspecies of this reptile.
Most of the turtles are small and medium in size, but some of them are real giants.
We must also remember that even though giant tortoises are long-lived animals, most of them are endangered.
Most of these turtles are aquatic animals, although there are also land animals such as the Galápagos turtle or the giant Aldabra turtle.
The weight and length stated on the fact sheet are the maximum values verified for a given turtle species. The largest turtle Top 10 Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea).
Olive Ridley Turtle – 50 kg / 70 cm maximum weight: 50 kg (110 lb) maximum length: 70 cm (2.3 ft)11.
Kemp ridley sea turtle – 50 kg / 90 cm maximum weight: 50 kg (110 lb) maximum length: 90 cm (3 ft)10.
Flatback Turtle – 84 kg / 95 cm maximum weight: 84 kg (185 lb) maximum length: 95 cm (3.12 ft)9.
African spurred tortoise (sulcata tortoise) – 105 kg / 83 cm maximum weight: 105 kg (231 lb) maximum length: 83cm (2.72 ft)8.
Black Sea Turtle – 126 kg / 100 cm maximum weight: 126 kg (278 lb) maximum length: 100 cm (3.28 ft)7.
Hawksbill turtle – 127 kg / 100 cm maximum weight: 127 kg (280 lb) maximum length: 100 cm (3.28 ft)
Galápagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra).
maximum weight: 183 kg (403 lb) maximum length: 81 cm (2.66 ft)5.
Aldabra giant tortoise – 360 kg / 150 cm maximum weight: 360 kg (794 lb) maximum length: 150 cm (4.90 ft)4.
Galapagos tortoise – 400 kg / 187 cm maximum weight: 400 kg (880 lb) maximum length: 187 cm (6.14 ft)3.
Green sea turtle – 500 kg / 140 cm maximum weight: 500 kg (1100 lb) maximum length: 140 cm (4.6 ft)2.
Loggerhead sea turtle – 545 kg / 213 cm maximum weight: 545 kg (1,202 lb) maximum length: 213 cm (7 ft) Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta).
The largest turtle in the world:1.
Leatherback Turtle – 650 kg / 210 cm maximum weight: 650 kg (1,430 lb) maximum length: 210 cm (6.90 ft)
Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Recommended by Archelon – largest known turtle record animal heaviest land animal largest crocodile longest whale heaviest snake longest snake largest shark fastest animal fastest bird dinosaur largest dog
Turtles are reptiles, and live in freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds.
They have a hard shell on their back to help protect them from predators and keep water in their bodies.
Shell reptiles are large reptiles with various shapes and sizes, depending on the species.
Turtle species around the world have a reputation as gentle giants that, when pulled out of the water and onto dry land, are barely distinguishable from land turtles.
Did you know that some species are actually bigger than others?
This is the largest turtle species in the world!
Hawksbill turtle
Habitat: Indian Ocean, Pacific, and Atlantic
Conservation Status: Critical Rhino
Source: Pixabay
The slender and sharp scaly beak is where the turtle got its name.
The Hawksbill Sea Turtle also features a strange pattern of scales that overlap each other on their shell, giving them the appearance of being serrated along the edge.
Most of the world’s tropical waters, especially those with coral reefs, are where you’ll find hawksbill turtles.
Crocodile Snapping Turtle
Crocodile Snapping Turtle
Habitat: Southeastern United States of America
The alligator snapping turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world and the largest freshwater turtle in North America.
When represented by a turtle motionless at the bottom of a river, a piece of flesh in the shape of a brilliant red worm on its tongue beckons any fish or frog that wants to approach it for capture.
Alligator snappers can live anywhere from 50 to 100 years given the right conditions, and they can be found almost exclusively in the rivers, canals, and lakes of the southern United States.
Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Habitat: Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles
The Aldabra Giant Tortoise is a species of giant tortoise that can only be found in the Aldabra Islands, which is located in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
The island grasslands and swamps that make up the Aldabra atoll, located in the Seychelles islands in the Indian Ocean, are the primary habitat of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise.
They used to share these islands with various species of giant tortoises, but throughout the 1700s and 1800s, many of these other species were driven to extinction by human activity.
An individual Aldabra giant tortoise lived to the ripe old age of 255 years, making it one of the oldest surviving creatures in the world.
The Aldabra giant tortoise is one of the largest species of tortoise on the planet and also one of the longest animals in the world.
Galapagos Giant Tortoise
Habitat: Galapagos Islands
Conservation Status: Vulnerable; Some subspecies are extinct
Source: Pexels
The Galapagos Tortoise is the fourth largest tortoise in the world.
Galapagos tortoises are endemic to the islands of the Galapagos Islands, which lie off eastern Ecuador and the northwest Pacific Ocean.
This massive turtle is considered rare because it lives in a small spot on the ground and is also threatened by human activity.
Turtles have large scaly shells that are gray or brown in color.
The hard protective structure that is an intrinsic part of the skeleton is formed when the shell plates fuse together with the ribs.
In the shell of this creature with sluggish movement speed, lichens can develop.
In 1535, Fray Tomás de Berlanga, Bishop of Panama, who is believed to have discovered the Galapagos Islands, stated that there were “tortoises so large that each of them could hold a man on top of him.”
The Galapagos tortoise is the most famous animal in the world and was listed as a “keystone species” by Charles Darwin because it is an important part of its ecosystem by providing predators such as blue-footed boobies and marine iguanas.
green sea turtle
Conservation Status: Rhinoceros
Source: Unsplash
The Green Sea Turtle is one of the largest sea turtles with a hard shell.
They are unusual among sea turtles because they are herbivores, with seaweed and algae making up most of their diet.
There are green turtle populations in every region of the earth.
It is only sometimes seen out in the open ocean.
In the past, green turtles have been hunted for their fat, meat, and eggs, which has led to a decrease in their number around the world.
Harvesting sea turtle eggs and killing sea turtles is prohibited in some countries, including the United States.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Habitat: Mediterranean Sea
The large head and powerful jaw muscles that underpin the loggerhead turtle’s name enable them to crush hard-shelled food such as clams and sea urchins, hence their nickname “loggerhead”.
The most common turtle species found in the Mediterranean, loggerheads can be seen breeding on beaches all the way from Greece and Turkey to Israel and Libya.
Daytime is when loggerhead sea turtles, both those kept in captivity and those found in the wild, are seen to be most active.
The daily routine of loggerhead turtles kept in captivity consists of two parts: swimming and resting on the ocean floor.
Compared to other types of sea turtles, the likelihood of humans hunting them for their meat or shells is lower.
Leatherback turtle
Approximate length: 7 feet
Approximate length: 7 feet
Approximate length: 7 feet
Approximate length: 7 feet
Approximate length: 7 feet
Habitat: World Water
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Source: Wikimedia
Source: Wikimedia
Source: Wikimedia
Source: Wikimedia
The leatherback turtle is the largest turtle species in the world, reaching up to seven feet in length and weighing over two thousand pounds.
The evolutionary origins of this turtle family can be traced back over a hundred million years, making this reptilian relic the only living member of its family.
The number of leatherback turtles is rapidly decreasing in many parts of the world, although they were once common in all oceans on the planet other than the Arctic and Antarctica.
Leatherback turtles, unlike their reptilian cousins, can maintain their body temperature at a comfortable level even while swimming in cold water.
Large body size, modifications for swimming activity and blood flow, and the development of thick fat layers are examples of these adaptations.
The leatherback turtle has the most extensive range of any other species of reptile.
It is possible to meet them in tropical and temperate oceans in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, in addition to the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.