Why do turtles go so slowly?

Turtles are slow because they don’t have to go fast! Most turtles are herbivores, which mean they eat plants. Plants don’t run, so they are fairly easy to eat. Also, they have thick shells to protect them from prediators. If you have ever picked up a turtle, you have seen how they can tuck in their heads and feet. Physically, they are slow because they have pretty slow metabolisms which mean their bodies process energy slowly. But animals with slow metabolisms often have longer lives. Some turtles live for more than one hundred years! Slow and steady also wins the race.