How fast did the world's fastest turtle reach? You'll be surprised

24.12.2024 11:19

Turtles are generally considered to be very slow representatives of the animal world.

And this “status” is well deserved.

The thing is, turtles really can't get very fast.

And this is explained by the peculiarities of their body structure: large shell, short legs, etc.

However, among such reptiles there are relatively fast individuals.

turtle
Photo: © Belnovosti

The fastest land turtle

This "title" was won by a tortoise named Bertie living in Great Britain.

She once covered 5.48 meters in 19.59 seconds.

Thus, the animal managed to develop a huge speed for a turtle of 0.28 meters per second. This is approximately 1 kilometer per hour.

This achievement was recorded by representatives of the Guinness Book of Records.

Sea turtle speed

It is worth emphasizing that Bertie was recognized as the fastest land tortoise in the world. The key word is "land".

Sea turtles are much faster: in certain circumstances they can reach speeds of up to… 35 kilometers per hour.

But such a figure can only be achieved in a stressful situation. Usually, the speed of sea turtles does not exceed 9 kilometers per hour.

Author: Kurchev Anton Deputy Editor-in-Chief

Content
  1. The fastest land turtle
  2. Sea turtle speed