• Question: How does a tortoise breathe underwater?

    Asked by wizzyg12 to Claire, Matt, Rob, Sam on 25 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Robert Woolfson

      Robert Woolfson answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      They don’t. They are like us, in that they need to breath oxygen from the air. When they’re swimming they need to surface often to get more air.

      However, they do have quite large lungs so they can stay underwater for quite a while.

    • Photo: Sam Geen

      Sam Geen answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      I don’t think they can! Tortoises are reptiles, not amphibians. They probably just hold their breath well for longer periods of time before coming to the surface to breathe.

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