Scientific name: order: testudines
Turtles can be found in the sea, in lakes and in rivers. Turtles that live on land are called tortoises. Tortoises usually eat plants, and turtles eat either plants or fish and other water creatures.
Some kinds of turtle can grow up to two metres long, although most are smaller. Turtles have a hard shell covering their body, and they can hide their head and legs inside it. They can live for over 100 years. The ancestors of turtles and tortoises have been around since before the dinosaurs. Some kinds of small turtles can be kept as pets.
Whittling is the process of making something out of a piece of wood by cutting off thin strips with a knife. The most common thing you make by whittling is simply making a point on the end of a piece of wood to turn it into a stake, but you can also whittle quite complex shapes.
Whittling is similar to carving.