Welcome to Awesome Facts About Awesome Turtles!

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Turtles are amazing animals. Here are some of the coolest facts about them:

• Their shell is actually their skeleton! It is made of their ribcage and spine fused together.
• Some turtles are as big as a car. The Leatherback Sea Turtle can grow up to 7 feet long and weigh over 2,000 pounds!
• Some turtles can breathe through their butts! When ponds freeze, some turtles hibernate underwater and get oxygen through a special area near their tail.
• Turtles do not have teeth. They have sharp beaks like birds!
• Sand temperature matters. Hot sand makes girl sea turtles, and cool sand makes boy sea turtles.
• They live a long time. The oldest tortoise alive today is over 190 years old!
• They live almost everywhere! You can find turtles on every single continent on Earth... except for Antarctica because it is too cold!
• Sea turtles can "cry." It looks like they are crying tears, but they are actually just sneaking extra salt out of their bodies through special glands near their eyes.
• A group of turtles has a funny name. If you see a bunch of turtles together, you can call them a "bale" of turtles!
• They are built for speed in the water. Even though tortoises are slow on land, Leatherback Sea Turtles can swim up to 22 miles per hour in the ocean!