The tail of a female turtle has no function, but in male turtles, it contains the reproductive system. The female turtle’s cloaca, which manages urine, faecal, and reproductive processes, is found beneath the tail as opposed to being contained inside the tail like it is in male turtles.

Male turtles have longer tails than female turtles because their tails contain reproductive organs. A male turtle experiences a growth surge as it approaches adulthood. The tail’s size increases significantly during this stage and eventually surpasses the animal’s rear flippers. Female turtles’ tails never experience this kind of development spike. As a result, measuring a turtle’s tail length is one of the easiest ways to determine its sex.

Scientists believe that although though female turtles don’t use their tails, they nonetheless have them for the same reason that male humans have nipples. All human babies begin life as females in the womb, regardless of their sex upon delivery. As a result, even though guys don’t need them, nipples are present at birth in all people. Similar to humans, according to scientists, a turtle’s gender may not be determined until much later in the incubation phase.