Turtle IQ Ranking: From Bronze to King, Where Does Your Turtle Rank?

After keeping turtles for so long, it turns out the intelligence gap between different turtles can be huge! Today, I’m bringing you a “Turtle IQ Tier List,” from Bronze to King, to see where your little turtle ranks.

Bronze: The Dorky Old-Timer Group

Chinese Pond Turtle

Their daily trifecta: “Basking in the sun” is greater than “Thinking,” which is greater than “Eating.” Their main focus is a zen-like retirement.

The Chinese Pond Turtle is a total zen turtle. When hungry, it paws at the basin, frantically signaling it’s hungry. When a person approaches, the Chinese Pond Turtle starts paddling wildly. Once it’s full, it becomes the aloof type, completely ignoring you, which is also off-the-charts cute.

Alligator Snapping Turtle

Its usual hunting strategy is the “waiting for the hare by the stump” style, quietly lying still like a sculpture, waiting for food to come to it.

When its owner feeds it, the Alligator Snapping Turtle frantically stretches its head out to beg. However, the Alligator Snapping Turtle can’t tell the difference between a hand and food, so owners must be extra careful when feeding it, or they’ll get bitten.

Its baffling behaviors are even more incredible! An Alligator Snapping Turtle bit onto a slipper and was dragged along by its owner, “refusing to let go” the entire time. Such stubbornness. It’s hard to comment on, I can only say that when it comes to chowing down (eating), the Alligator Snapping Turtle knows a thing or two about persistence.

Diamond: The Mid-Tier IQ Contestants

Red-eared Slider

A total “Conditioned Reflex Master.” As soon as you ring a bell, the Red-eared Slider instantly gets it: “Mealtime’s here,” its enthusiasm for eating is maxed-out.

But! This only applies to eating commands. For any other command, it plays dumb. Its whole thing is “a foodie’s clarity“—all its intelligence is used for eating.

The Red-eared Slider’s reaction ability, learning ability, and memory ability are quite strong. Moreover, the Red-eared Slider can recognize its owner, has a degree of interactivity, and dares to get close to its owner. When the owner touches the Red-eared Slider’s head and limbs, it won’t shrink back in fear.

Musk Turtle

Skill point: “A little expert at tricking other turtles.” It’s a turtle that holds a grudge. This bit of cunning is like something out of “The Art of War in the turtle world.”

If other turtles snatch the Musk Turtle’s food, don’t be fooled by its small size; the Musk Turtle will hold a grudge and frantically chase them to get it back. It will chase them to the ends of the earth. It’s not zen like the Chinese Pond Turtle, which doesn’t hold grudges over food.

King: The Einsteins of the Turtle World

Red-footed Tortoise

Keeping a Red-footed Tortoise is like having kittens and puppies. It recognizes its owner, is potty-trained, and can open its cage to escape. This isn’t a turtle; it’s practically “the academic ace of the turtle world.” Gentle, curious, and not afraid of people, it’s very suitable for keeping as a family pet.

The Red-footed Tortoise will carefully inspect every corner of the house. Even its steps have a sense of pace and priority; it will slow down to stare at a place it has never seen before. The Red-footed Tortoise remembers the layout of the home and can find its way from the living room back to the bedroom.

Yellow-spotted River Turtle

An adult Yellow-spotted River Turtle can grow up to 40 cm long, making it a true behemoth among deep-water turtles. An “expert swimmer,” the Yellow-spotted River Turtle’s toes have webbing, making it perfectly suited for aquatic activities.

Don’t let its large size fool you; the Yellow-spotted River Turtle is very gentle when eating, as if afraid of biting its owner’s hand. The Yellow-spotted River Turtle will observe its owner’s movements from inside the turtle tank, looking just like a sage.

Its precision in catching food is one hundred percent, and it’s a champion at avoiding obstacles. Swimming, chowing down, dodging obstacles…… it’s a master of all.

Yellow-margined Box Turtle

The Yellow-margined Box Turtle is witty, smart, and recognizes its owner, often following them around. The Yellow-margined Box Turtle likes to nip at its owner’s feet and hands. This is actually intentional; “loving you means giving you a bite.”

The Yellow-margined Box Turtle likes having people nearby to accompany it and dislikes strangers. When it hears the sound of mealtime, it immediately comes out from its corner.

Which tier is your turtle in? Hurry to the comments section and share the clever daily antics of your “wise turtle” to amaze everyone.