How Fast Can Tortoise Swim?

The typical swimming speed of tortoises is 0.13 to 0.3 miles per hour (0.2 to 0.5 kilometers per hour). Although it 

may not look like it, tortoises are not designed for speed in the water, so this may not appear like it is

moving very quickly. Swimming against them is difficult due to their bulky shells and sluggish land motions.

It's also important to remember that certain tortoise species swim more proficiently than others. For

instance, the red-eared slider, a species of freshwater turtle that is sometimes mistaken for a tortoise, is

well known for its prodigious swimming speed—it can travel up to 8 kilometers per hour (5 miles) in that time.

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