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Tortoises have both an endoskeleton and an exoskeleton. All Tortoises have a protective shell around their bodies. The top part of their case is called the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge.

The size of tortoises can vary from a few centimetres to up to two meters. Tortoises generally live a long time, some individuals being known to have lived longer than 150 years.

The giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution, since the isolated populations on the different islands, although descended from a common ancestor, had diverged to different forms. One of Darwin's tortoises, named Harriet is believed to still be alive and living in an Australian zoo.

All land tortoises are herbivorous in the wild.

The first turtles already existed in the era of the dinosaurs, some 200 million years ago. Turtles and tortoises are the only surviving branch of the even more ancient clade Anapsida, which includes groups such as the procolophonoid s, millerettid s and pareiasaur s. Most of the anapsids became extinct in the late PermianThe Permian is a geologic period that extends from about 280 to 248 million years before the present ( mya). As with most older geologic periods, the strata that define the Permian are well identified, but the exact date of the period's start is uncertain period, with the exception of the procolophonoids and the precursors of the testudines (turtles and tortoises).

Partial species list:

• Bowsprit Tortoise , Chersine angulata
• Dipsochelys abrupta Extinct
• Arnold's Giant Tortoise , Dipsochelys arnoldi Extinct in the wild
• Dipsochelys daudinii Extinct
• Aldabra Giant Tortoise , Dipsochelys dussumieri Vulnerable
• Dipsochelys grandidieri Extinct
• Seychelles Giant Tortoise , Dipsochelys hololissa Extinct in the wild
• Tunisian Spur-thigh Tortoise , Furculachelys nabeulensis
• Red-Footed Tortoise , Geochelone carbonaria
• Chaco Tortoise , Geochelone chilensis Vulnerable
• Yellow-Footed Tortoise , Geochelone denticulata Vulnerable
• Indian Star Tortoise , Geochelone elegans
• Galapagos Giant Tortoise , Geochelone nigra Vulnerable
• Leopard Tortoise , Geochelone pardalis
• Burmese Star Tortoise , Geochelone platynota Critical
• Radiated Tortoise , Geochelone radiata Vulnerable
• African Spurred Tortoise , Geochelone sulcata
• Angulated Tortoise , Geochelone yniphora Endangered
• Desert Tortoise , Gopherus agassizii Vulnerable
• Texas Tortoise , Gopherus berlandieri
• Bolson Tortoise , Gopherus flavomarginatus Vulnerable
• Gopher Tortoise , Gopherus polyphemus Vulnerable
• Parrot-Beaked Cape Tortoise , Homopus aerolatus
• Boulenger's Cape Tortoise , Homopus boulengeri
• Karroo Cape Tortoise , Homopus femoralis
• Speckled Cape Tortoise , Homopus signatus Lower Risk
• Berger's Cape Tortoise , Homopus bergeri Vulnerable
• Elongated Tortoise , Indotestudo elongata Endangered
• Travancore Tortoise , Indotestudo forsteni Endangered
• Bell's Hinge-Backed Tortoise , Kinixys belliana
• Serrated Hinge-Backed Tortoise , Kinixys erosa Data Deficient
• Home's Hinge-Backed Tortoise , Kinixys homeana Data Deficient
• Natal Hinge-Backed Tortoise , Kinixys natalensis Lower Risk
• Kinixys spekii
• Pancake Tortoise , Malacochersus tornieri Vulnerable
• Brown Tortoise / Mountain Tortoise , Manouria emys Endangered
• Impressed Tortoise , Manouria impressa Vulnerable
• Geometric Tortoise , Psammobates geometricus Endangered
• Serrated Star Tortoise , Psammobates oculiferus
• African Tent Tortoise , Psammobates tentorius
• Madagascan Spider Tortoise , Pyxis arachnoides Vulnerable
• Madagascan Flat-Tailed Tortoise , Pyxis planicauda Endangered
• Greek TortoiseThe Greek Tortoise or Spur-thighed Tortoise Testudo graeca is one of three European members of the Testudinidae family of tortoises. The other members of the family are Herman's Tortoise Testudo hermanni and the Marginated Tortoise Testudo marginata ., Spur-Thighed Tortoise , Testudo graeca Vulnerable
• Herman's TortoiseHerman's Tortoise Testudo hermanni is one of the three principal European members of the genus Testudo together with the Marginated Tortoise Testudo marginata and the Greek Tortoise Testudo graeca . Two subspecies are known: the Western Testudo hermanni h, Testudo hermanni Lower Risk
• Russian Tortoise , Horsfield's Tortoise , Testudo horsfieldii Vulnerable
• Egyptian Tortoise , Testudo kleinmanni Critical
• Negev Tortoise , Testudo werneri Critical
• Marginated TortoiseThe Marginated Tortoise Testudo marginata is the largest European tortoise, reaching a weight of up to 5 kg (11 pounds) and a length of 35 cm (14 inches). Its shell is oblong and has a notable thickness around the middle of the body. The posterior end of, Testudo marginata