Did You Know That Turtles Can Pull in Their Legs?

Yes, turtles can pull their legs into their shells. And that's not all. They can pull in their heads and tails too. Turtles can do that because their bones are soft and are easy to bend. A turtle's shell is fused to the backbone, and the ribs are flattened and widened for more support. Turtles have no way to defend themselves other than by withdrawing their exposed head, legs and tail back into their shell. The neck, which is flexible, is retracted in an S curve to perform this maneuver. Turtles pull their head, legs and tail into their shell if they think they're in danger, or when they want to rest or sleep. They also do it when they're in hibernation during the winter.