Turtles (order Testudines) are reptiles with a protective shell made of a dorsal carapace and ventral plastron. The shell is primarily bony, formed from broadened ribs and vertebrae fused with dermal ...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Though gopher tortoises have persisted for millions of years, they now face a barrage of threats from loss of habitat and developers with permits that allow the reptiles to be buried ...

Desert tortoises have lived in the deserts of California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah since the Pleistocene. In the early years of the 20th century, they still thrived within the Southwest's arid ...

Joshua Tree Reptile Haven is a new rescue and non-profit that takes in various reptiles, but focuses on tortoises. ONYX, Calif. (KERO) — Dana and Amanda Epps run the Joshua Tree Reptile sanctuary in ...

While tucked away in her South Florida burrow, Grumpy Gertrude is ready to ram anyone who approaches too closely—including the biologists who study her. The 14-year-old gopher tortoise is a favorite ...

Red-footed tortoises have moods, at least of optimism and pessimism, just as so-called higher animals do, a new study has concluded. The work has important implications for how we regard and treat ...

Today's Galapagos tortoises mostly feature dome-shaped shells, like the one shown here. But researchers have found some that have the saddleback-shaped shells and longer necks that once characterized ...

Olivia Young is a writer, fact checker, and green living expert passionate about tiny living, climate advocacy, and all things nature. She holds a degree in Journalism from Ohio University. It's easy ...

Long dismissed as unintelligent, reptiles are emerging as cognitively and emotionally complex animals. A new study involving tortoises suggests that they also possess mood states. By Brandon Keim ...