Many people may believe that turtles are slow creatures that never know how to put a little giddy up in their step; however the truth of the matter is that turtles are very fast when in water. On land however the average turtle is typically only able to move about 1.07 miles per hour. Another interesting fact is that turtles can actually swim even faster than we humans can. This is mainly due to the fact that they have light shells that do not weigh them down in the water, streamlined bodies that help them travel through water efficiently, and strong webbed feet to help them keep moving.
It has been said that the average turtle swims at a rate of about 10-12 miles per hour but some have even been recorded to swim as fast as 22 miles per hour. New born hatchlings on average swim about 25 miles in 30 hours. While species such as the soft shelled turtle are very active creatures, more active than other species even and are quite mobile and able to strike with the speed of a snake and the agility of a mammal. These creatures are also able to move their limbs at rates comparable to those in birds and mammals and are very powerful swimmers that can even run on land at astounding speeds!
When turtles swim they use their flippers as paddles. The most efficient undersea paddlers are the giant sea turtles. They are clumsy and almost helpless on land when they come ashore to lay their eggs, however they are fast migrators in the sea and can reach speeds of 10 knots and are very agile creatures. The giant sea turtle has been said to swim as fast as 35 miles per hour!
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