This tortoise's carapace, or the top of its shell, is tan to dark brown. The bony plates of the shell, called scutes, are flat, and the carapace angles sharply down at the back. The front of the shell ...

Discover how Galapagos tortoises self-righting abilities differ between shell types, impacting their survival. Chiari and her colleagues used 3D shell reconstructions of 89 adult tortoises–three ...

It's easy to understand why so many use the words "turtle" and "tortoise" interchangeably. They look similar with their characteristic bony shells and lipless expressions, and, in some cases, they ...

It would be a memorable sight. But it would also be so wrong to tip over Galápagos giant tortoises to see how shell shape affects their efforts to leg-pump, neck-stretch and rock right-side up again.

If you liked this story, share it with other people. The forest hinge-back tortoise is an unusual animal whose shell can swing down 90 degrees in the rear to protect itself from predators. However, ...

What do you think of when you hear the word “tortoise”? The giant tortoises that lumber along like tanks over the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific and the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean? The gopher ...