Red-eared sliders get their name from the distinctive red patch of skin around their ears. The "slider" part of their name comes from their ability to slide off rocks and logs and into the water quickly. Red-eared sliders are almost entirely aquatic, but leave the water to bask in the sun and lay eggs. These reptiles are deceptively fast and are also decent swimmers.

The green turtle is a large, weighty sea turtle with a wide, smooth carapace, or shell. It inhabits tropical and subtropical coastal waters around the world and has been observed clambering onto land to sunbathe. It is named not for the color of its shell, which is normally brown or olive depending on its habitat, but for the greenish color of its skin

The mata mata is a large sedentary turtle that has a large triangular flattened head characterized with many tubercles and flaps of skin and a "horn" on its long and tubular snout. The head, neck, tail, and limbs are grayish brown on adults The appearance of the mata mata's shell resembles a piece of bark, and its head resembles fallen leaves

The softshells truly have soft shells: in fact, their shells are mostly thickened skin. As such they are much more vulnerable to injuries from rocks and bites than are other hard-shelled turtles. They are highly aquatic, spending most of their time under water, often buried under the sandy or muddy river or lake bottoms with only their long probiscus topping the surface. Like many aquatic amphibians, softshells respire through their skin as well.

There are 11 types of giant tortoises left in the Galápagos They are also the world's largest tortoises, with some specimens exceeding 5 feet (1.5 meters) in length and reaching 550 pounds (250 kilograms). lead an uncomplicated life, grazing on grass, leaves, and cactus, basking in the sun, and napping nearly 16 hours per day. A slow metabolism and large internal stores of water mean they can survive up to a year without eating or drinking.

Common snappers are noted for their belligerent disposition when out of the water, their powerful beak-like jaws, and their highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific name "serpentina", meaning "snake-like"). Common habitats are shallow ponds, shallow lakes, or streams. Some may inhabit brackish environments, such as estuaries. The common snapping turtle is not an ideal pet. Its neck is very flexible, and the turtle can bite its handler even if picked up by the sides of its shell.

This freshwater turtle is undoubtedly the most interesting of all Australian species. Care should be exercised when handling Pig-nose Turtles as they are often aggressive when first collected. With its powerful jaws, an adult specimen is capable of inflicting a very severe bite.

All box turtles have a highly domed carapace. The average life span of adult box turtles is 50 years, while a significant proportion lives over 100 years. The age of a growing box turtle in the wild can be roughly estimated by counting the growth rings on the scutes; the plastron is the best place to do this because it also allows examination of wear pattern.

The giant Amazon river turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. They are highly aquatic; typically, the females only leave the water to bask and lay 50–150 eggs at communal nesting sites during the dry season. In the wild, these turtles eat primarily fallen fruits and seeds. Other items in their diet include vegetation, aquatic invertebrates, and insects Historically, females gathered together in groups in the tens to hundreds of thousands