When you look at a tortoise
It’s not weird or strange to ask – Are tortoises dinosaurs?
I mean they look like dinosaurs right?
Here’s the thing though
Tortoises are reptiles, not dinosaurs.
They belong to the same group of animals called Testudines.
Tortoises are reptiles, and although they do resemble dinosaurs, they aren’t actually related to any living animal.
They are also known as “archelonians” because of their resemblance to dinosaurs.
Tortoises will have lived alongside dinosaurs during the Mesozoic Era.
Tortoises aren’t dinosaurs despite looking similar, but we learn some interesting facts about them here.
They survived alongside dinosaurs, and many other interesting tidbits
When it comes down to identifying animals, scientists decide their identities, and they use genetics to reach their conclusions.
There are certainly some similarities between dinosaurs and turtles; for instance, they are both egg-laying reptiles.
It has been suggested by scientists that dinosaurs were far closer relatives to modern day birds rather than reptiles.
The genetics of dinosaurs tell us that they were warm-blooded animals with a high metabolic rate allowing for rapid growth.
They were also fast moving, so they are more similar to mammals than reptiles vastly different.
Reptiles are cold blooded with a slower growth rate and move slowly.
Are There Genetically Based Similarities between Turtles and Dinosaurs?
Yes, there are genetic similarities between tortoises and dinosaurs.
Modern science has progressed enough to reveal that tortoises and turtles are actually very closely related.
When you see images and CGI of what we believe, how the dinosaurs moved, and their sheer size, it is tough to think that the two can be related in any meaningful way; however, that could be the case.
Tortoise vs Dinosaur – What Do They Mean?
A study conducted at the California Academy of Sciences showed that turtles evolved over millions of years to resemble modern species.
Next-generation sequencing technologies were used to create a ‘tree of life’ to trace back the turtle’s evolution.
The study places turtles in a new category, Archelosaurs, which makes their closest relatives birds, crocodiles, and dinosaurs.
The study looked at many species of turtles, discovering some surprising facts; however, the most fascinating discovery was how closely related the turtle is related to dinosaurs.
With new generation sequencing technologies, we are getting many more answers and much closer to settling the debate.
What dinosaur was the closest living relative to reptiles?
Next generation sequencing technologies create a new classification of Archelosaurs that include turtles, birds, crocodiles, and dinosaurs.
So, turtles, birds, and crocodiles are the closest living relatives to dinosaurs.
Deciding what animals are the closest relatives to dinosaurs takes some time to figure out.
At the moment, it seems that the crocodile is the closest living relative to the dinosaur.
Tortoises have been around longer than dinosaurs, but why did they survive while their cousins didn’t?
When scientists try to figure out what happened to our planet millions of years ago, there is an element of guesswork involved.
Knowing that turtles are related to dinosaurs and they are still alive today means there must be something special about their DNA that keeps them going strong.
If we believe that tortoises coexisted with the dinosaurs, it would be a fair assumption that the tortoise’s physiology and habits were not in conflict with those of the dinosaur.
If this was the case, the dinosaur would not view the tortoise as a threat and not eat them.
Since the invention of science, we know that the tortoise has remained unchanged for millions of years.
Its hard shell has served as protection against predators since ancient times.
There are many theories as to why the tortoise survived what would eventually wipe out most other species on Earth.
Some believe it was due to its slow metabolism, while others think it was because it lived underground.
One of the most popular beliefs is that a large meteor struck Earth near Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula, causing mass extinction of dinosaurs.
The impact was said to leave behind huge amounts of dust in the atmosphere, blocking sunlight and plunging the planet into darkness.
A dark earth would have caused temperatures to plunge, causing an ice age.
Any surviving dinosaurs that survived the meteor shower wouldn’t have been able to survive.
Their food sauce would also have been wiped out.
Tortoise keep on living
How could the tortoise possibly survive such harsh winter temperatures?
We may have forgotten its secret weapon.
Many of these ideas are based on theories; however, this one doesn’t make more sense than many others we see.
So, what of the tortoise’s secret weapon to survive the winter hibernation, of course.
With the tortoise being able to hibernate, it is thought that they would have been able to hibernate through the cold weather.
The dust particles would eventually settle, allowing the earth to become lit again and warm up, then allowing the tortoise to come out of hibernation and allowing the tortoise to survive such a significant event on Earth.
This theory makes sense because the tortoise was slow moving and didn’t require much energy to move around.
The dinosaur required lots of energy to run and needed to eat constantly.
Wrapping Up
We learned that it was once believed that only birds were closely related to dinosaurs.
After years of scientific discoveries and new technologies, we learn that tortoises are much closer relatives to dinosaurs than previously thought.
Many of the ideas are guesses and tortoises about how the tortoise eventually outlasted the dinosaurs.
Science provides a picture of the truth, and it’s the same when asking “Can Tortoises Crossbreed?” Science determines whether it is possible.
