About 260 million years ago, on the shores of the ancient Karoo sea, among dunes and shrubs of a semi-arid Gondwana, lived a small reptile called Eunotosaurus africanus. ... Eunotosaurus didn't know this, but it was to become the ancestor of all tortoises, sea turtles and terrapins.

What came first turtle or tortoise?

Turtles came first. Tortoises, or Testudinidae, the family of "land-turtles" are a recent clade that has seperated itself from the Geoemydidae and Emydidae. Seaturtles evolved from "aquatic" turtles. It is even believed that the turtles returned several times to sea seperately.

Are turtle and tortoise related?

Did you know that tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises? ... Turtle shells are more streamlined to aid in swimming. One major key difference is that tortoises spend most of their time on land and turtles are adapted for life spent in water. Tortoises have club-like forelegs and 'elephantine' hind legs.