Who is faster: a snail or a turtle?

Traditionally, turtles are considered to be the most leisurely creatures in the world, even their very name has become a household word and is used to describe slowness. They have only one equally famous competitor who prefers a leisurely move – a snail. But if you ask yourself which of them is faster, you can find unusual facts.

How fast do turtles move?

To find out which of the animals moves more slowly, it is necessary to calculate and compare the average speed of each of them. And in this study, turtles can seriously surprise – they are not at all as slow-moving as they seem, and under certain conditions they are even able to overtake a person. The speed of movement of these reptiles can vary greatly depending on their species, weight or age, but the average is 15 km / h for land individuals.

The reason for the apparent slowness of these reptiles is the heavy shell – dragging it on yourself requires a lot of energy, so most of the time they prefer to walk in a more comfortable leisurely mode. It is much easier to move in the water, so aquatic reptiles swim faster – their average rate is 25 km / h. The fastest representative is the leatherback sea turtle, which can swim 35 km in an hour.

Interesting: The title of one of the slowest animals in the world is rightfully earned by the elephant tortoise, which reaches very large sizes. A huge heavy body is difficult to move and turn, so in one hour this animal overcomes no more than four kilometers.

How fast do snails crawl

An ordinary garden snail crawls 1-1,3 cm per second, so it can cover no more than 80 cm per minute and 47 m per hour. But this species is one of the most agile among its relatives – the average speed of most of these mollusks is only 1,5 mm / s, which equals 6 cm / min or 3,6 m / h. Why do snails move so slowly? Moving forward is carried out due to the contraction of the muscles of her body – they bend and straighten the surface of her “leg” like the movement of caterpillars.

The secreted mucus, which lubricates the surface along which the mollusk drags the body forward, helps to speed up the advance a little, and reduces friction. But despite all the tricks, the speed of these animals remains the lowest in the world. Therefore, the question of who moves slower: a turtle or a snail can be answered unequivocally – the mollusk is significantly inferior to its competitor.

Video of a speed competition between a snail and a turtle