Tortoise

Tortoise, name for slow-moving, herbivorous, heavily armored terrestrial reptiles of the family Testudinidae, found in the tropics, subtropics, and warmer temperate regions. The body is enclosed in a boxlike shell into which the head and limbs can be withdrawn. The shell is covered with horny plates, or scutes. Toothless, the tortoise's jaws are covered to form a sharp, horny beak. There are many species, ranging from the familiar garden tortoises to the 5-ft (1.5-m) giant tortoises of the Galapagos and Seychelles.