Turtles, Ranked

The largest living turtle at up to ~700 kg, it dives past 1,000 meters and is the only sea turtle without a hard bony shell. It also ranges from tropical seas to near-Arctic waters, staying warmer than the surrounding ocean.

The largest living tortoise and one of the longest-lived land vertebrates, with famous individuals reputed to have passed 150 years. Its island-by-island shell variation helped inspire Darwin's thinking on natural selection.

The archetypal sea turtle, uniquely herbivorous as an adult and named for the green fat beneath its shell. It navigates thousands of kilometers back to the beach where it hatched to nest.

One of the world's largest tortoises, with a wild population of over 100,000 on Aldabra Atoll, the biggest such gathering on Earth. A captive individual, Adwaita, was reputed to have lived roughly 150+ years.

Named for its massive head and powerful jaws that crush conchs and clams, it's one of the most widely distributed sea turtles. Females can lay several clutches totaling hundreds of eggs per season.

Its beautiful patterned shell made it the historic source of 'tortoiseshell,' driving it to critically endangered status. It plays a key reef role by eating sponges other animals avoid.

Its hinged plastron lets it close up completely like a box, and it can live 50 to 100 years in the wild. Many stay within a home range of just a few acres for their entire life.

Native to Madagascar, its shell bears striking yellow star-burst lines widely considered among the most beautiful of any tortoise. That beauty has fueled heavy poaching, leaving it critically endangered.

The most widespread native turtle in North America, easily spotted basking on logs with red and yellow shell markings. Hatchlings can survive freezing solid over winter, tolerating ice in their tissues.

One of the largest freshwater turtles in the world, it wiggles a worm-like appendage on its tongue to lure fish into its jaws. Big specimens can exceed 90 kg with a genuinely dinosaur-like appearance.

One of the few turtles adapted to live in brackish coastal marshes, excreting excess salt through glands. Once eaten so heavily it nearly vanished, it's now a beloved emblem of the U.S. East Coast.

The largest mainland tortoise, it can top 100 kg, which is why so many impulse buyers surrender them once they outgrow the house. In the wild it digs deep burrows to escape the Sahel heat.

A widespread North American turtle known for a fast, powerful bite when cornered on land. It's largely harmless underwater, where it prefers to slip away rather than fight.

Named for the thin lines on its shell that resemble topographic map contours, it's a shy, fast river basker. Females grow far larger than males and specialize in crushing snails and clams.

This small turtle earns its nickname by releasing a foul musk from glands when handled. Despite the smell it's a hardy, common bottom-walker throughout eastern North America.

A bizarre Amazonian turtle whose flattened head and craggy shell mimic bark and leaf litter. It feeds by suddenly expanding its throat to vacuum in whole fish, and never really chews.

The only freshwater turtle with true flippers like a sea turtle, plus a fleshy pig-like snorkel snout. Its odd niche and slow reproduction leave it vulnerable to the pet trade.

Farmed by the hundreds of millions for food, it's among the most heavily produced turtles on Earth and has become invasive well beyond its native range. Escaped and released stock now compete with native wildlife across several countries.

The most commonly traded pet turtle, it's been released worldwide and listed among the 100 worst invasive species by the IUCN. It outcompetes native turtles for basking sites and food nearly everywhere it escapes.