Britannica Sources used in this answer

How many species belong to the turtle order Testudines?

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Illustrations of ten representative chelonians, including spiny softshell turtle, Galapagos giant tortoise, green turtle, alligator snapping turtle, Blanding's turtle, common map turtle, eastern box turtle, eastern painted turtle, spotted turtle, and eastern mud turtle, each labeled with its common and scientific name. A scale bar at the bottom shows size comparison. — turtle Turtles (order Testudines).

There are approximately 356 species of turtles (order Testudines) currently recognized.12

These species are distributed across all continents except Antarctica and inhabit a wide range of environments, including tropical and subtropical oceans, seas, and various freshwater systems. The order is divided into two primary suborders based on the manner in which their necks fold: the Cryptodira (vertical-necked turtles), which includes 263 species, and the Pleurodira (side-necked turtles), which includes 93 species.2