Most of us get confused when we talk about turtles, tortoises and terrapins. For many, the terms are interchangeable. However, all tortoises are turtles but all turtles are not tortoises. It helps to say that the tortoises are exclusively land turtles. However, all land turtles are not tortoises, to complicate the issue further. Moreover, there are some turtles that are referred as terrapins, to make the matters worse.
To simplify, we can say all the reptiles that have a large shell around their body are turtles. All tortoises and terrapins are turtles. All tortoises are land turtles and do not indulge with water other than drinking and occasionally bathing. The exceptions are the box turtles and wood turtles, earlier considered tortoises and now being treated as turtles. Tortoises are generally vegetarian whereas turtles are omnivorous. All terrapins are turtles that spend all their life in fresh or brackish water but may venture on land nearby. Tortoises have rounded ridged shells whereas the terrapins have smoother flattened shells that help them swim. Tortoises have thicker legs, adapted to walking whereas terrapins have flipper-like legs, designed for swimming.
There are two turtle species resident at Jim’s Jungle Retreat. These are Indian Flapshell Turtle and Black Turtle. This Black Turtle that lives in one of the waterholes of Jim’s Jungle Retreat is often seen undertaking a walk along the pathways when it moves to another waterhole for better feeding opportunities.