Why are tortoises and turtles so colorful?

[Freddy90]

Hi sorry in advance for my English!

I hope I posted in the right category.

Why are so many turtles and tortoises so colorful? Wouldn't it be better for them to be green?

For example the cooters why are they so bright yellow?

Or the box turtles... why not camouflage?
Is the bright color there to show other animals go away I'm poisonous?

 

[turtlesteve]

They actually are camouflaged very well. A box turtle is very hard to spot in dappled sunlight, and star tortoises disappear when standing in some dry grass. I have walked within 18” of box turtles when hiking only to have someone else see them.

 

[ZenHerper]

When kept in artificial conditions indoors, these critters are very easy to see and admire.

Their varied colors and patterns help them hide in the wild places where their pigments evolved (successfully pigmented individuals survive longer and breed more).

Torts and turts "get lost" in backyards all the time, only to be "found" again hours, day, weeks later (or longer). This is mostly due to the fact that they are well hidden in grasses, leaves, mulch, bushes, etc..

Folks who build large, elaborately landscaped enclosures can experience some degree of difficulty seeing their pets from time to time.

 

[Madkins007]

I've tried to hunt boxies in the wild, and they are INCREDIBLY well camouflaged. Similarly, when I would look for my redfoots in a well-planted habitat, it usually took a while to find them all.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I've tried to hunt boxies in the wild, and they are INCREDIBLY well camouflaged. Similarly, when I would look for my redfoots in a well-planted habitat, it usually took a while to find them all.

My Redfoot are invisible in my pen during the hottest part of the day.