Reptiles, features and articles | Educational Science

Apr 8, 2021

Turtles complete seemingly impossible journey thanks to a hidden 'corridor' through the Pacific

North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) hatch on the shores of Japan and spend much of their time in the open Pacific, but sometimes mysteriously crop up in Mexico, 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) away from their original nesting ground. That incredible journey requires them to pass through potentially deadly,...

May 4, 2021

Young green turtles tracked to 'lost years' hideaway

Editor's note: This story was updated on May 6 to include comments from Dan Crear. The original story was published on May 4. Green sea turtles venture into the open ocean immediately after hatching on the Florida coast, and then seem to vanish for a spell — now, new tracking...

May 5, 2021

Ancient turtle with a frog face sucked down its prey millions of years ago

Paleontologists in Madagascar recently discovered an exceptionally well-preserved fossil of a new and extinct species of turtle, dating back to the late Cretaceous Period, which began around 100 million years ago. The newly discovered species would have had a frog-like face and eaten by sucking in mouthfuls of prey-filled water....

Aug 15, 2021

Why do turtles live so long?

On the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, there lives a creature that Guinness World Records has dubbed the world's oldest animal on land. His name is Jonathan, and he's a giant tortoise. According to Guinness World Records, Jonathan was 187 years old in 2019. Born in 1832,...

Oct 12, 2021

Infamous 'Lizard King' of Florida nabbed in turtle heist

A Florida reptile dealer known as The Lizard King faces federal charges for illegally harvesting turtles from the wild to smuggle out of the United States and sell overseas. The 54-year-old Michael Van Nostrand owns the reptile wholesale store Strictly Reptiles, Inc. in Hollywood, Florida. The business sells a variety...

Oct 13, 2021

Rare conjoined turtles hatched in Massachusetts

Conjoined turtles with two heads and a single body have hatched at a Massachusetts wildlife center. Against all odds, the fused siblings are thriving. The baby turtles, diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin), are very alert and active, according to a recent Facebook post from the New England Wildlife Center's Cape Cod...

Nov 12, 2021

Outside of Earth's 'shell,' SpaceX's Crew-3 reveal turtle as zero-g indicator

The turtle-takeover of outer space has begun. Just moments after entering Earth orbit on Wednesday (Nov. 10), SpaceX Crew-3 astronaut Kayla Barron released a sparkling sea turtle to float above her head. The zero-g indicator, a doll used to show that she and her three crewmates' were in the microgravity...

Jan 25, 2022

190-year-old Jonathan is the oldest tortoise ever

A 190-year-old tortoise named Jonathan has become the oldest tortoise ever, adding to his list of age-defying accolades. Jonathan is estimated to have been born in 1832, which means he turned, or turns, 190 years old in 2022, Guinness World Records announced on Jan. 12. To put that into context,...

Jul 28, 2022

Ancient Transylvanian turtle survived the extinction of the dinosaurs

A 70 million-year-old fossil unearthed in Transylvania is a newfound species of freshwater turtle that likely survived the extinction event that wiped out the nonavian dinosaurs. Researchers initially found the reptilian fossil at a site called Haţeg Basin in Romania in the 1990s. The remains include near-complete sections of the...

Jul 31, 2022

Can turtles really breathe through their butts?

Everyone knows that most mammals breathe through the mouth and nose. Frogs, meanwhile, can breathe through their skin. But what about turtles? How do these hard-shelled critters get oxygen? You may have heard a strange rumor that turtles can breathe through their butts. But is this true? Technically, turtles do...

Aug 10, 2022

Most of Florida's newly-hatched sea turtles are female. Why?

Almost all sea turtle hatchlings are emerging from their eggs as females on some Florida beaches because of heat waves exacerbated by climate change, Reuters reported on Aug. 2. Five different sea turtle species are found in Florida, including loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas), according to...

May 5, 2023

Largest freshwater turtle species doomed to extinction after last female washes up dead

The Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), the world's largest freshwater turtle and one of the most endangered species on Earth, is now essentially doomed to extinction after the last known remaining female washed up dead in Vietnam. The female turtle, which was around 5 feet (1.5 meters) long and...

Feb 24, 2024

Mary River turtle: The green-haired oddball that can breathe through its butt for 72 hours

Name: Mary River turtle (Elusor macrurus) Where it lives: Mary /Moonaboola River, Queensland, Australia What it eats: Mostly aquatic plants, but sometimes seeds, fruits and insect larvae Why it's awesome: This turtle has a distinctive, punk-like appearance, thanks to green algae growing from its head and body that helps it...

Feb 17, 2017

World's Rarest Boa Snake Seen for 1st Time in 64 Years

Brazil's elusive tree boa, Corallus cropanii — also known as Cropan's boa — is one of the world's rarest boas, infrequently sighted and known from only a handful of dead specimens collected after the snake was first seen and described in 1953. However, the species is alive and well, scientists...

Mar 14, 2017

Blergh! Why a 13-Foot Python Puked Up an Impala (and How)

The video shows a 13-foot (4 meters) African rock python (Python sebae) being interrupted by a snake catcher as the snake attempts to down a young impala on a farm in South Africa. According to Maroela Media, the snake catcher, Arthur Roden, had been called to a farm in the...