Ask the Box

11 aug 06

"is a tortoise an amphibian?"

no.

a tortoise is a kind of turtle. even though a turtle is amphibious in the sense that it walks and swims, it's not an "amphibian", which has a strict biological definition: an animal that spends part of its life breathing water, and part of its life breathing air (frogs, salamanders, possibly others). turtles are born from eggs on land, and breath air their whole lives. furthermore, a tortoise is a turtle that lives exclusively on land (i later found out that it can't swim at all, and that pet tortoises can easily drown in a pool). so, a tortoise is doubly not an amphibian.

here is some definitional confirmation (dictionary.com):

am·phib·i·an. A cold-blooded, smooth-skinned vertebrate of the class Amphibia, such as a frog or salamander, that characteristically hatches as an aquatic larva with gills. The larva then transforms into an adult having air-breathing lungs.

tur·tle. Any of various aquatic or terrestrial reptiles of the order Testudines (or Chelonia), having horny toothless jaws and a bony or leathery shell into which the head, limbs, and tail can be withdrawn in most species.

rep·tile. Any of various cold-blooded, usually egg-laying vertebrates of the class Reptilia, such as a snake, lizard, crocodile, turtle, or dinosaur, having an external covering of scales or horny plates and breathing by means of lungs.

tor·toise. Any of various terrestrial turtles, especially one of the family Testudinidae, characteristically having thick clublike hind limbs and a high, rounded carapace.

tortoises are terrestrial turtles, and turtles are reptiles. reptiles aren't amphibians (or vice versa), since reptiles and amphibians are two of six classes of animal (the others being mammals, birds, arthropods, and fish). tortoises are a kind of turtle, which breath air their whole lives. some turtles are amphibious, meaning they swim as well as walk, but they aren't amphibians, which is a class of animal with its own strict definition.

this question confuses me. perhaps it was another one intended to foil my need to generate significant amounts of text in addition to a simple answer ("no"); "ramble in technicalities", as it were.

tortoises are extremely long-lived -- at least as long as people, and often to 130 or more years. fairly reliable reports of tortoises living as long as 250 years exist, but are scientifically unverified.

because they live so long, they're untraumatic pets to own -- no need for pet loss grief counseling. however, tortoises aren't the easiest animals to keep as pets (need lots of outdoor space, means to hibernate, ample diet, etc) -- read up.

while delivering chicken a few days before my holiday, i saw a turtle crossing a residential street. i stopped my car to watch it cross (and deter any motorists in the oncoming lane who might squish it). an SUV pulled up, and the driver was also charmed by the journeying turtle; she stopped next to me and also looked on. when the turtle reached the other side of the street, it clambered against the wall of the curb, trying to get over it. this was so sad and cute that i had to get out of my car, pick it up (it retracted into its shell when i came close), and lift it over the curb. from there, it continued, unphased and unaware of this miracle from god. the driver of the SUV nodded and smiled her approval, and we both went on our ways. this event cheered me up for a good part of my shift, until i had to go back inside and yet again fill innumerable cups with coleslaw.

i also have a stuffed turtle that has been with me since i was 16. two events were notable in its life: 1) he was orignially a gift to my ex, who in some argument gave him back. 2) katy (dog) chewed up his head, which i put back together with some fabric glue. other than that, he's pretty much stayed on my bed for 16 years. if i ever get married and/or acquire a bed-sharer, i wonder if he'll be banished.

he really does help me sleep, though. don't tell anyone that i sleep with a stuffed turtle (oops -- forgot this was on the web). he doesn't have a name -- his original name was "jawaharal galopagos", coined by that ex-girlfriend. he became "golly" for short, but i quickly realized that this was stupid and unsuitable. so, he ended up nameless, or as simply "turtle". "ex-girlfriend x", who is now a friend (she's married -- my aunt officiated at her wedding), saw him semi-recently and exclaimed "I KNOW THIS TURTLE!!" it was a jungian moment.

i have no stuffed tortoises, however. when i was a little kid, i had about 50 stuffed animals that i took to bed with me, all of them with names. this continued through my first few weeks of college -- it's amazing that i wasn't more embarrassed about it. but finally, the horde was reduced to the one turtle over there behind me and to my right, sitting on my bed. well actually, he's on the floor. sometimes i retrieve him, but often i decide that he's happy on the floor and just go to sleep. i am a weird person.

did you honestly think a tortoise might be an amphibian? or were you f-ing with me? i never know.

note that i didn't google this question, but answered it with my own extreme smartitudinalness (except for later looking up terms in the dictionary and googling "pet tortoise" so as to find a fun page about them).