Quiz of the Day
Turtles & Reptiles
Saturday, 23 May 2026
World Turtle Day — reptile facts, ocean conservation, slow-and-steady trivia
1. What is the main difference between a turtle and a tortoise?
- There is no difference — they are the same animal
- Tortoises are larger
- Tortoises have harder shells
- Turtles live in or near water; tortoises live on land
In British English, 'turtle' typically refers to sea-dwelling species and 'tortoise' to land species. In American English, 'turtle' is often used for all of them. Terrapins are the freshwater species. All three belong to the order Testudines and share the same basic body plan that has barely changed in 220 million years.
2. How old was Jonathan the Seychelles giant tortoise when he became the oldest known living land animal?
- About 190 years
- About 150 years
- About 120 years
- About 250 years
Jonathan was born around 1832, making him older than the lightbulb, the telephone, and the Eiffel Tower. He lives on the island of Saint Helena and still enjoys the company of other tortoises, though he is now blind and has lost his sense of smell. He was officially recognised by Guinness World Records.
3. What is the largest species of sea turtle?
- Hawksbill turtle
- Leatherback turtle
- Green turtle
- Loggerhead turtle
Leatherbacks can grow up to 2 metres long and weigh over 900 kg. Unlike other sea turtles, they have a flexible, leathery shell rather than a hard one. They can dive to depths of over 1,200 metres — deeper than most whales — and can regulate their body temperature, unique among reptiles.
4. How do sea turtles navigate across thousands of miles of open ocean to return to their birth beach?
- They use the Earth's magnetic field
- They follow the stars
- They follow other turtles
- They follow ocean currents
Sea turtles imprint on the unique magnetic signature of their birth beach and can detect both the intensity and angle of the Earth's magnetic field to create a kind of internal GPS. Female loggerheads return to the exact same stretch of sand where they hatched, even after 20-30 years at sea.
5. What determines the sex of most turtle and crocodilian hatchlings?
- The temperature of the nest during incubation
- The age of the mother
- The size of the egg
- Genetics (XX/XY chromosomes)
In most sea turtles, warmer nests produce females and cooler nests produce males. Climate change is causing a dangerous skew — one study of green turtles in the Great Barrier Reef found that 99% of juveniles were female. Scientists fear some populations may run out of males entirely.
6. Which reptile can detach its tail to escape from predators?
- Snake
- Turtle
- Lizard (many species)
- Crocodile
The process is called autotomy. The detached tail continues to wriggle for several minutes, distracting the predator while the lizard escapes. The tail regrows, but the new one is supported by cartilage rather than bone and is often a different colour or shape from the original.
7. What is the fastest reptile on land?
- Spiny-tailed iguana
- Green iguana
- Black mamba
- Komodo dragon
The Costa Rican spiny-tailed iguana has been clocked at 34.9 km/h (21.7 mph), earning it a Guinness World Record. However, the black mamba — while fast for a snake at 20 km/h — is not technically faster on land. Bearded dragons can also sprint surprisingly quickly in short bursts.
8. Approximately how many of the seven sea turtle species are classified as threatened or endangered?
- 4
- All 7
- 2
- 6
Six of the seven species are classified as vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered. The flatback turtle lacks sufficient data for classification. Major threats include plastic pollution (turtles mistake bags for jellyfish), fishing bycatch, coastal development destroying nesting beaches, and climate change altering nest temperatures.
9. What is the Komodo dragon's primary weapon for taking down large prey?
- Venomous bite with anticoagulant toxins
- Electric shock
- Constriction
- Razor-sharp claws
For decades, scientists believed Komodo dragons relied on bacteria in their mouths to cause deadly infections. In 2009, researchers discovered they actually have venom glands that produce toxins causing rapid blood loss, shock, and tissue damage — making them one of the very few venomous lizards known.
10. What material is a turtle's shell primarily made of?
- Compressed scales
- Hardened cartilage
- Calcium carbonate like seashells
- Keratin and bone fused to the skeleton
A turtle's shell is part of its skeleton — the upper shell (carapace) is fused to the spine and ribcage, while the lower shell (plastron) includes modified collarbones. This means a turtle cannot 'come out' of its shell any more than you could step out of your ribcage. The shell contains nerve endings and blood vessels, so turtles can feel touch through it.
11. Which ancient reptile group survived the mass extinction that killed the dinosaurs 66 million years ago?
- Mosasaurs
- Pterosaurs
- Crocodilians
- Plesiosaurs
Crocodilians survived the asteroid impact that wiped out 75% of all species, and their basic body plan has changed remarkably little in 80+ million years. Their survival is attributed to their ability to go long periods without food, their cold-blooded metabolism, and their aquatic habitat which provided some protection from the cataclysm.
12. In Aesop's famous fable, who does the tortoise race against?
- The eagle
- The deer
- The fox
- The hare
The fable of 'The Tortoise and the Hare' dates back to around 600 BC and has been told in virtually every culture. Its moral — 'slow and steady wins the race' — has been supported by modern research showing that consistent effort often outperforms bursts of brilliance followed by complacency.
13. What is the only continent where reptiles are NOT found in the wild?
- Europe
- Australia
- Antarctica
- South America
As cold-blooded (ectothermic) animals, reptiles depend on external heat to regulate their body temperature, making Antarctica's extreme cold uninhabitable. However, 90 million years ago when Antarctica was warm and forested, it was home to diverse reptiles including dinosaurs, plesiosaurs, and ancient relatives of modern crocodiles.
14. How do baby turtles find the ocean immediately after hatching on a beach at night?
- They move toward the brightest horizon (moonlight reflecting off the sea)
- They follow the sound of waves
- They smell the salt water
- They follow their mother
Hatchlings instinctively move toward the brightest light source, which is naturally the moon and starlight reflecting off the ocean. Artificial lights from coastal buildings disorient them, causing hatchlings to crawl inland instead and die from exhaustion, dehydration, or predation. Many beach towns now have 'lights out' ordinances during nesting season.
15. Which small reptile can change its skin colour to communicate mood, regulate temperature, and camouflage?
- Skink
- Gecko
- Anole
- Chameleon
Contrary to popular belief, chameleons change colour primarily to communicate — bright colours signal aggression or courtship, darker shades indicate stress. The colour change happens through nanocrystals in their skin cells that shift spacing to reflect different wavelengths of light, a mechanism only understood since 2015.