Tortoise could swim faster than walking

It’s been a few years since a shocking viral video surfaced. The woman in the video was “saving a turtle” by throwing it into the water. Unfortunately, what she believed to be a struggling baby turtle was, in fact, a tortoise. That single video caused such a ruckus across the internet that people finally began asking the right question.

Can tortoises swim? Tortoises cannot swim. At most, they can float and drift, and if they’re lucky they’ll bump into land. Some species of tortoises can swim poorly, but most will simply sink and drown.

While it is sad that so many people throw tortoises into the water believing they’re saving a baby turtle, the viral video did help. It shed some light on this unintentionally cruel practice. Below, we’ll explore the subject in more detail and help demystify the mix up so fewer tortoises are harmed.

Why can turtles swim but tortoises can’t?

The confusion over the swimming abilities of tortoises and turtles comes from the fact both animals are reptiles and have very similar appearances. The differences between turtles and tortoises can be so slight that it’s difficult for the layman to spot.

But if tortoises and turtles are so similar that it’s hard to tell them apart, why can turtles swim but tortoises can’t?