Why is the turtle called turtle?
Have you ever asked yourself why the turtle is called turtle when it is not a toad at all, but a reptile? There is no clearly defined reason here, it is only likely that the name has existed longer than the classifications in the animal kingdom.
General information about turtles
First of all, turtles can be classified as reptiles; they do not, as the name suggests, belong to the toads. Therefore the name turtle is actually incorrect or at least very misleading. This order of reptiles is very old, it has existed on this earth for more than 220 million years.
- These reptiles are protected by a shell around them, so that all important, internal organs are invulnerable. Turtles can retract their extremities and head completely into their shell, thus protecting themselves from predators. Against humans, however, the tank does not offer them any protection, which is why today there are so many species of Threatened with extinction, despite the fact that they can survive so many millions of years thanks to their enormous adaptability could.
- These reptiles have an enormously high life expectancy, an average of 150 years is not uncommon. The oldest turtles were raised up to approx. 270 years old, but you can't say exactly because no exact year of birth was recorded.
That is why the reptile is called the turtle
- The ancient Romans already knew these reptiles and gave them the name Testudo, as they are protected all around by armor. The Romans themselves advanced in a battle in a so-called turtle formation, they protected their front and the front Upside through their shields, formed a shield wall that was difficult to penetrate by the enemy, similar to the armor of the Tortoise. The first part of the name can be derived from this, the turtle is so named because it has a shield around it, a shell.
- It is not possible to determine exactly where the incorrect name toad comes from. It is suggested, however, that the turtle was given this name much earlier, before the classifications were introduced in the animal kingdom. When it came to the assignment to the reptiles, the name of the toad was already manifested and inevitably connected with the reptile.
- This happens again and again with other animals. For example, a bat is not a mouse, and a firefly is not a worm either.
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Turtles do not have a correct one Names, but this doesn't really matter, because you learn this in biology lessons that they belong to the reptiles.