The largest (heaviest, longest) turtle – Top 10 The first turtles appeared on Earth 220 million years ago, so they are one of the oldest animals
There are currently 228 species and 124 subspecies of these reptiles
Most turtles are small and medium-sized, but some of them are real giants
We must also remember that although giant tortoises are long-lived animals, most of them are critically endangered Below is a summary of the longest and heaviest turtles in the world
Most of these turtles are aquatic, although there are also land animals such as the Galapagos tortoise or the aldabra giant tortoise
The weight and length listed in the information sheet are verified maximum values for a specific turtle species The largest turtles Top 10 Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea)
Olive Ridley Turtle – 50 kg / 70 cm maximum weight: 50 kg (110 lb) maximum length: 70 cm (23 ft)11
Kemp’s ridley sea turtle – 50 kg / 90 cm maximum weight: 50 kg (110 lb) maximum length: 90 cm (3 feet)10
Flat sea turtle – 84 kg / 95 cm max weight: 84 kg (185 lb) max length: 95 cm (312 ft)9
African spurred tortoise (sulcata tortoise) – 105 kg / 83 cm maximum weight: 105 kg (231 lb) maximum length: 83 cm (272 ft)8
Black Sea Turtles – 126 kg / 100 cm max weight: 126 kg (278 lb) max length: 100 cm (328 ft)7
Hawksbill turtle – 127 kg / 100 cm maximum weight: 127 kg (280 lb) maximum length: 100 cm (328 ft)
Galapagos giant tortoise (Chelonoidis nigra)
maximum weight: 183 kg (403 lb) maximum length: 81 cm (266 ft)5
Aldabra Giant Tortoise – 360 kg / 150 cm max weight: 360 kg (794 lb) max length: 150 cm (490 ft)4
Galápagos tortoise – 400 kg / 187 cm maximum weight: 400 kg (880 lb) maximum length: 187 cm (614 ft)3
Green Sea Turtle – 500kg / 140cm Max Weight: 500kg (1100lb) Max Length: 140cm (46ft)2
Loggerhead Turtle – 545kg / 213cm Max Weight: 545kg (1202lb) Max Length: 213cm (7ft) Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)
The largest turtle in the world: 1
Leatherback sea turtle – 650 kg / 210 cm maximum weight: 650 kg (1430 lb) maximum length: 210 cm (690 ft)
Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)Recommended Archelon – the largest known turtleAnimal recordsHeaviest land animalsLargest crocodilesLongest whalesHeaviest whalesLongest snakesMost venomous snakesLargest sharksFastest animalsFastest birdsBirds that lie on topSmartest dog breedsHeaviest dinosaursLongest dinosaurs
Turtles are reptiles, and they live in freshwater lakes, rivers and ponds
They have a hard shell on their back that protects them from predators and keeps water in their bodies
Armadillos are huge reptiles of different shapes and sizes, depending on the species
Turtle species around the world have a reputation for being gentle giants that, once out of the water and onto land, are barely distinguishable from land turtles
Did you know that some species are actually much larger than others?
Here are the largest species of turtles in the world!
Hawksbill turtle
Habitat: Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans
Protection status: critically endangered
Source: Pixabay
The turtle got its name from its thin and sharp beak
Hawksbill sea turtles also have an unusual pattern of overlapping scales on their shells, giving them the appearance of being serrated along the edges
Most of the world’s tropical waters, especially those with coral reefs, are where you’ll find loggerhead turtles
Alligator tortoise
Alligator tortoise
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 motionless turtle on the bottom of a river, a shiny red piece of worm-shaped flesh on its tongue beckons curious fish or frogs close enough to be caught
Alligator snappers can live from 50 to 100 years if given the right conditions, and 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 on the Aldabra Islands, located in the middle of the Indian Ocean
The grasslands and wetlands of the islands that make up the Aldabra Atoll, located in the Seychelles archipelago in the Indian Ocean, are the primary habitats of the Aldabra giant tortoise
They once shared these islands with various species of giant tortoises, but during the 1700s and 1800s, many of these other species were driven to extinction by human activity
One Aldabra giant tortoise lived to be 255 years old, 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 is one of the longest-lived animals in the world
Galapagos giant tortoise
Habitat: Galapagos Island
Conservation status: Vulnerable; Some subspecies are extinct
Source: Pexels
The Galapagos tortoise is the fourth largest tortoise in the world
The Galapagos tortoise is endemic to the islands of the Galapagos archipelago, which are located near eastern Ecuador and the northwestern Pacific Ocean
These massive tortoises are considered rare because they live on a small patch of land and are also threatened by human activity
Turtles have large gray or brown scaly shells
The tough protective structure that is an integral part of the skeleton is formed when the plates of the shell join the ribs
Lichens can develop on the shells of these slow-moving creatures
In 1535, Fray Tomás de Berlanga, the bishop of Panama, who is responsible for the discovery of the Galapagos Islands, declared that there were “turtles so big that each one could hold a man on it”
Galapagos tortoises are among the most famous animals in the world, and Charles Darwin labeled them a “keystone species” because they form an important part of their ecosystem, providing food for predators such as blue-footed seals and marine iguanas
Green sea turtle
Protection status: Endangered
Source: Unsplash
The green sea turtle is one of the largest hard-shelled sea turtles
They are unusual among sea turtles in that they are herbivores, with sea grass and algae making up the majority of their diet
Green turtle populations exist in every part of the world
They are only sometimes seen in the open ocean
In the past, green turtles were hunted for their fat, meat and eggs, leading to a decline in their numbers worldwide
Collecting sea turtle eggs and killing sea turtles is prohibited in several countries, including the United States
A loggerhead sea turtle
Habitat: Mediterranean Sea
The huge heads and powerful jaw muscles that support the loggerhead turtle’s namesakes allow them to crush hard-shelled foods such as clams and sea urchins, earning them the nickname “turtleheads “
The most common species of turtle found in the Mediterranean, the loggerhead turtle, can be seen breeding on beaches from Greece and Turkey to Israel and Libya
Loggerhead turtles, both in captivity and in the wild, are most active during the day
The daily routine of captive loggerhead turtles consists of two parts: swimming and resting on the ocean floor
Compared to other sea turtle species, they are less likely to be hunted by humans for their meat or shell
Leatherback sea turtle
Approximate length: 7 feet
Approximate length: 7 feet
Approximate length: 7 feet
Approximate length: 7 feet
Approximate length: 7 feet
Habitat: World waters
Protection status: Vulnerable
Protection status: Vulnerable
Protection status: Vulnerable
Protection status: Vulnerable
Source: Wikimedia
Source: Wikimedia
Source: Wikimedia
Source: Wikimedia
The leatherback sea turtle is the largest species of turtle 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 these relict reptiles the only living members of their family
Leatherback turtles are rapidly declining in many places around the world, even though they used to be common in every ocean on the planet except the Arctic and Antarctic
Leatherback turtles, unlike their reptilian cousins, can maintain a comfortable body temperature even while swimming in cold water
Large body size, modifications in swimming activity and blood flow, and the development of a thick layer of adipose tissue are all examples of these adaptations
The leatherback turtle has the most extensive range of any reptile species
It is possible to find them in the tropical and temperate seas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, in addition to the waters of the Mediterranean Sea