Is it normal to be irritated when people use "turtle" not tortoise?

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32 Comments

Seems odd that these creatures are mentioned quite often in media and casual conversations. It is driving me crazy that frequently I hear people refer to a tortoise by calling it a turtle.

They are very different. One lives on land and has feet. The other dwells in water and has flipper type things perfect for swimming. Of course there are many other differences and many similarities, but it really should be easy to use the right name.

Never heard anybody confuse mouse with bat, or penguin with magpie...

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Based on 42 votes (21 yes)
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Comments ( 32 )
  • dirtybirdy
    10 years ago

    You forgot terrapins. Everyone seems to forget those guys :(

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    • Hayze
      10 years ago

      sorry :( they do tend to get misidentified as turtles too, right? I have not seen or heard much mention of them at all really.

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      • dirtybirdy
        10 years ago

        They are actually turtles. The difference is the type of water they live in. But true, people hardly use that word.

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  • [Old Memory]
    10 years ago

    I got peed on by a tortoise while moving it off a busy street once. Those things hiss and get really mad when you pick them up. They also weigh around 50 to 100 pounds.

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    • Hayze
      10 years ago

      I have been peed on by Pythons. Twice; two different pythons. I guess I always lift them up too close to the bladder or something. No more python-cuddling for me thanks.

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  • moomus
    10 years ago

    I have a leopard tortoise and if someone called her a turtle I'd beat them to a pulp!!

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  • driedroses
    10 years ago

    My best friend is like you. I used to always call her tortoise a turtle, and she'd get so mad!

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  • RoseIsabella
    10 years ago

    What about when someone has to take a dump really badly and he or she says, "I've got a turtlehead" or "I'm turtleheading"?

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    • Hayze
      10 years ago

      Ahahahahaa

      Thanks RoseIsabella for making me laugh :)

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      • RoseIsabella
        10 years ago

        Thanks for laughing! :-)

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  • SRS_Boyholes
    10 years ago

    Oh, and some turtles are terrestrial, like the box turtles, to further complicate the situation.

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    • Hayze
      10 years ago

      wow I did not know that :) cool, thanks.

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  • SRS_Boyholes
    10 years ago

    I think it's pretty normal if you're a hobbyist or just appreciate accuracy. I work at a pet store, in the reptile room. We have plenty of tortoises and turtles. We have breed specifics and scientific and common names posted on every tank, in the same position. It pissed me off to no end when a customer came in and said "Do you have turtles?" I, of course, showed them the turtles. They'd look around and read the tanks, and ask if I had any land turtles. This is when the issue popped up; do I correct them and risk them getting pissy and leaving or do I risk making myself look foolish and uneducated by calling them turtles as well? Which may not shoo off these customers, but perhaps the next one that overheard. So, it's infuriating to me, but anything customer related is pretty annoying, so it could just be me. You'd think someone willing to slap down hundreds of dollars down on a tortoise would've done some light reading first, though.

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    • Hayze
      10 years ago

      I probably would have just politely continued to answer their questions, but any time I need to refer to the creature I would use the correct name. I think people are calling them turtles on purpose because they hear it so much they begin to believe it must be correct. I guess maybe I would correct them, if I could find a gentle and polite way of doing so without seeming condescending.

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  • Mersaphe
    10 years ago

    Maybe most people just aren't as passionate about tortoises as you.

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    • Hayze
      10 years ago

      Probably so. Tortoises and words. :p

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  • Hhhhhhhh
    10 years ago

    Normal, yes, but it also makes you pedantic and thus kind of a douchebag. Colloquially, "turtle" is used as an umbrella term to cover turtles, tortoises and terrapins.

    Think of it as slang.

    That said, I have my own pedantic pet peeve and that is when people mispronounce "et cetera" as "excetra"

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    • Hayze
      10 years ago

      agreed about et cetera and the way language gets adapted colloquially. I dislike it, but it is the nature of languages.

      I admit I am pedantic, I disagree that it qualifies as any sort of douchebag. A term I usually reserve to people who go around being rude or unkind to others.

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      • Hhhhhhhh
        10 years ago

        Douchebag is generally a term I use for people who are pedantic or pretentious, so I would agree that your meaning and way of using the word would not apply to you. Although the way that I use it, I think it does if only slightly. I don't mean this as an insult, as it's something I would use to describe myself as well.

        Silly as it may sound, I think that is a perfect example of the flexibility of language :)

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        • Hayze
          10 years ago

          Touché, my friend. You got me there. I <3 languages and the interesting changes as they develop over time.

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  • RomeoDeMontague
    10 years ago

    Turtle and tortoises are two different things. One swims in the sea and one stays on land and sometimes goes near water. Its like a hare and a rabbit. Similar creatures but not exactly the same.

    Makes you wonder if they are possibly the same species but for some reason were split up and moved and adapted to different habitats. Toad and frog is another one people often confuse.

    However things like a Shark and a Dolphin are never confused and people can tell the difference between those. Its actually very easy to mix up these creatures since they look very similar.

    Also no one confuses a bat with a rat since rats do not have wings. If you take away the wings though it looks a lot like a rat.

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    • Hayze
      10 years ago

      yeah but a turtle does not have feet, it has those flipper type thingies and tends to be quite flat bodied.

      You are right! Funny how we can tell the difference when basic survival comes into the question! "Aww look at the cute dolphin circling us, dear, oh ... wait ... is that even a dolphin?!!"

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      • RomeoDeMontague
        10 years ago

        Well that is a little different. You can usually tell a dolphin if you see the entire creature since its a lot smoother and had a tipped nose. If you just see a fin circling you I think most people would freak out. Since the fins look very similar.

        However I also think in a lot of cases people just do not care to say the difference since its not really important to be factually correct. Like cartoons for example would have a boy cow with utter even though boy cows don't have utters so that is ridiculous.

        So its not really something to get angry over. You could go ahead and correct people just so they realize the difference but I do not think it will stop it from happening. Since a lot of people just don't care to know the difference.

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        • Hayze
          10 years ago

          Angry really is not the word I would use to describe my irritation and puzzlement over this issue. You are right though, people are not interested in being correct most of time. After some decades or centuries the whole meaning of the word will eventually change. It has happened to lots of words.

          I never ever correct people unless they ask me to. It is really rude to do that.

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          • RomeoDeMontague
            10 years ago

            Well unlike you people do not make a point to know the difference. This goes for everything be it politics, animals, anything.

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  • thegypsysailor
    10 years ago

    Yes and some call a rat a mouse, or whatever. Why does it matter so much to you? Perhaps you should only hang out with highly educated people who never misspeak. Turn off your TV and don't go to movies; someone may be ignorant, misspeak, and anger you.
    Really, with all the horrors in the world today, is THIS what you choose to get upset about?

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    • Hayze
      10 years ago

      Wow, this really bothered you that much, THIS is what you choose to get irate about? Struck a nerve did I? Sorry for that. I was simply posting a question on a silly website about one of the things that puzzles me and wondering if others have noticed the same.

      Maybe you might consider flaming somebody else? Actually, please do not do that. Go direct your negativity somewhere useful instead, go to the gym or join a campaign group. Perhaps you might choose to turn off your television as it would seem all the horrors in the world are eating away at you that you cannot take a trivial question in the intended context. This website probably is not the right place for you as there is a lot of these sorts of questions here.

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      • thegypsysailor
        10 years ago

        Awfully defensive aren't you?
        I guess turn about is fair play, so blaze me back, no sweat.
        No TV here though; I live in the real world where an acquaintance got several gashes in her face from a West Indian aboard her boat with a machete for no reason at all. I doubt if either cared if it was called a knife, sword or machete, though.

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        • [Old Memory]
          10 years ago

          Wow. Internet arguments are really funny. **Blows a a large load in 3 equal sized squirts**

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          • Hayze
            10 years ago

            Hahaha :D Internet arguments are pointless.

            Yeah I will never really understand why some people react so strongly to a person stating an opinion. I have a right to my feelings on the subject and think it is interesting to hear what others think about the subject at hand. I have zero interest in what others think of my opinion on the subject.

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        • Hayze
          10 years ago

          What I said to Icame:

          I will never really understand why some people react so strongly to a person stating an opinion. I have a right to my feelings on the subject and think it is interesting to hear what others think about the subject at hand. I have zero interest in what others think of my opinion on the subject. Hardly defensive, but I felt my response mirrored your own bizarre outrage. Success.

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  • megadriver
    10 years ago

    This post here just had a tortoise joke comming!

    I LIKE TURTLES!!!! XD XD XD

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