Turtles | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/turtles/RSS feed for TurtlesenWed, 15 Apr 2026 14:46:48 +0000Turtles May Have Been Tasty Snacks for Neanderthals 125,000 Years Ago. But Their Shells Were Probably the Real Prizehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/turtles-may-have-been-tasty-snacks-for-neanderthals-125000-years-ago-but-their-shells-were-probably-the-real-prize-180988550/New research based on fragments discovered at the Neumark-Nord site in Germany suggests Neanderthals may have transformed the shells into toolsWed, 15 Apr 2026 14:46:48 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/turtles-may-have-been-tasty-snacks-for-neanderthals-125000-years-ago-but-their-shells-were-probably-the-real-prize-180988550/Giant Tortoises Vanished From the Galápagos' Floreana Island More Than 150 Years Ago. Now, Conservationists Have Brought Them Backhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giant-tortoises-vanished-from-the-galapagos-floreana-island-more-than-150-years-ago-now-conservationists-have-brought-them-back-180988238/Researchers released captive-bred tortoises carrying the ancestry of the extinct local speciesMon, 23 Feb 2026 20:08:03 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/giant-tortoises-vanished-from-the-galapagos-floreana-island-more-than-150-years-ago-now-conservationists-have-brought-them-back-180988238/After Decades of Decline, Some Good News Is Here for Green Sea Turtleshttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-decades-of-decline-some-good-news-is-here-for-green-sea-turtles-180987535/The International Union for Conservation of Nature no longer considers the marine creatures endangered and has instead reclassified them as a species of least concernFri, 17 Oct 2025 20:25:18 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-decades-of-decline-some-good-news-is-here-for-green-sea-turtles-180987535/Seaweed Piles Are Slowing Down Sea Turtle Hatchlings as They Make the Dangerous Trek to the Oceanhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seaweed-piles-are-slowing-down-sea-turtle-hatchlings-as-they-make-the-dangerous-trek-to-the-ocean-180987309/In Florida, large mats of sargassum are increasingly washing ashore, creating another obstacle for loggerhead, leatherback and green sea turtles, new research suggestsTue, 09 Sep 2025 19:44:39 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/seaweed-piles-are-slowing-down-sea-turtle-hatchlings-as-they-make-the-dangerous-trek-to-the-ocean-180987309/Why Is Tetepare the South Pacific’s Largest Uninhabited Island?https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-is-tetepare-the-south-pacifics-largest-uninhabited-island-180987184/Descendants of the island’s former inhabitants struggle to balance environmental conservation with sustaining their community’s livelihoodsMon, 25 Aug 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-is-tetepare-the-south-pacifics-largest-uninhabited-island-180987184/Thousands of Giant Tortoises Anchor a Thriving Ecosystem on Aldabra, a Remote Atoll in the Indian Oceanhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/thousands-of-giant-tortoises-anchor-a-thriving-ecosystem-on-aldabra-a-remote-atoll-in-the-indian-ocean-180986362/The animals graze the vegetation into a picturesque turf, fertilize the soil with their dung and disperse seeds over large distancesTue, 15 Apr 2025 12:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/thousands-of-giant-tortoises-anchor-a-thriving-ecosystem-on-aldabra-a-remote-atoll-in-the-indian-ocean-180986362/A Hurricane Swept These Tortoises Across Miles of Ocean to a New Home in Florida—and Now, They're Thrivinghttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-hurricane-swept-these-tortoises-across-miles-of-ocean-to-a-new-home-in-florida-and-now-theyre-thriving-180986380/Park rangers say at least 84 gopher tortoises are now living at Fort de Soto Park near St. Petersburg. Prior to Hurricane Helene in September, the local population was around eightMon, 07 Apr 2025 20:47:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-hurricane-swept-these-tortoises-across-miles-of-ocean-to-a-new-home-in-florida-and-now-theyre-thriving-180986380/At 97, Endangered Tortoise Becomes Oldest First-Time Mom of Her Species With Four New Hatchlings—and Potentially More on the Wayhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/at-97-endangered-tortoise-becomes-oldest-first-time-mom-of-her-species-with-four-new-hatchlings-and-potentially-more-on-the-way-180986373/Proud parents Mommy and Abrazzo are both nearly 100 years old, but they’re contributing to Galápagos tortoise conservation at Philadelphia ZooFri, 04 Apr 2025 19:28:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/at-97-endangered-tortoise-becomes-oldest-first-time-mom-of-her-species-with-four-new-hatchlings-and-potentially-more-on-the-way-180986373/Inside the Herculean Effort to Study and Save the World's Smallest Sea Turtlehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/inside-the-herculean-effort-to-study-and-save-the-worlds-smallest-sea-turtle-180986138/After years of steady gains, a decades-long conservation program dedicated to the Kemp's ridley hits rough seasFri, 07 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/inside-the-herculean-effort-to-study-and-save-the-worlds-smallest-sea-turtle-180986138/Dancing Baby Sea Turtles Help Researchers Unravel the Mysteries of Their Navigational Superpowershttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dancing-baby-sea-turtles-help-researchers-unravel-the-mysteries-of-their-navigational-superpowers-180986060/Loggerhead turtles can identify specific magnetic signatures, according to a new study, hinting at how the aquatic reptiles manage to return to the same foraging and nesting sites over and over againThu, 13 Feb 2025 20:32:51 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/dancing-baby-sea-turtles-help-researchers-unravel-the-mysteries-of-their-navigational-superpowers-180986060/