Most of us have probably heard the symbolic tale of the race between the slow and steady tortoise and the fast, but overconfident, hare. While the lessons at the heart of this fable may serve as good ...

This one-ton turtle once ruled South America’s rivers — until a changing planet proved too much for even the largest ...

It’s a debate that’s left more than a few scientists shell-shocked: Just how did the turtle come to acquire its unique suit of armor? Some have insisted for decades that the turtle’s carapace evolved ...

In cartoons, when a turtle is spooked, it retreats into and closes up its shell. While used for comic effect, this imagery is based in fact — although not all turtles are capable of this protective ...

Hans-Dieter Sues - Curator, Paleontology, National Museum of Natural History In a fit of pique, according to one of Aesop's fables, the god Hermes made the animal carry its house forever on its back.