Researchers from the University of Derby and Heriot-Watt University carried out a study to assess the way in which the reptiles are depicted.
The research found that, out of 214 fiction and non-fiction books looked at, 60 per cent contained errors in the illustration and description of turtles, terrapins and tortoises. Top misrepresentations included the shells of turtles being used for storage, tortoises being able to remove their shells, the reptiles possessing hair, and turtles being slow moving animals.
This may seem a minor quibble to most of us, the result of publishers tapping in to a child's inherent sense of imagination, but says Nel Beaumont, lecturer in conversation, biology and ecosystems at the University of Derby, it could lead to children forming misconceptions about the natural world.
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