6/3/2006: Tortoise as healer

[limey]

That's not a tortoise, it's a terrapin.
(Tortoise - land dwelling reptile in a shell; terrapin - fresh-water dwelling reptile in a shell; turtle - sea-water dwelling reptile in a shell).
Sorry, my dad was/is a zoologist ...

[xoxoxoBruce]

Dictionary.com

tor·toise
n.


a. Any of various terrestrial turtles, especially one of the family Testudinidae, characteristically having thick clublike hind limbs and a high, rounded carapace.
b. Chiefly British A terrestrial or freshwater chelonian.

Wikipedia

In British English it is normal to describe these reptiles as turtles, terrapins, or tortoises, depending on whether they live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. Thus the green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas, is considered a turtle; the red-eared slider, Trachemys scripta elegans, a terrapin; and the eastern box turtle, Terrapene carolina carolina, a tortoise.

In American English it is common to call them turtles regardless of habitat, although tortoise is sometimes used as a more precise term for the land-dwelling species. Ocean-going species are sea turtles. Terrapin is reserved for the diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin, though even that species is often simply referred to as a turtle. Incidentally, the word terrapin itself comes from the Native American (Algonquian) name of this animal [1].

Speakers of Australian English tend to use turtle for both marine and freshwater species and tortoise for the terrestrial species.

The word chelonian is increasingly popular among veterinarians, scientists, and conservationists working with these animals. It is based on the Greek word χελώνα( /çeˈlona/, chelone), meaning tortoise, and is used, for example, by the Chelonian Research Foundation.

Why is it they always want to confuse the issue when they rely on donations or funding?