Unlike sea turtles that swim across oceans, pond turtles live their whole lives in the same patch of freshwater. They are excellent swimmers but bask in the sun whenever they can, lining up on logs and warm stones with their necks stretched out. Sunbathing is how they warm their bodies up - they cannot make their own heat the way we do.
Pond turtles eat almost everything they can find in the water: insects, small fish, snails, tadpoles, even bits of plant. They have a hard, sharp beak instead of teeth, which they use to grab and tear food. When they spot something good, they suddenly extend their long neck and SNAP - it disappears.
Their shell is made of more than 50 bones fused together. It is part of their actual skeleton, not something they can take off. When they are scared, they pull their head, legs and tail inside the shell and wait, like a knight in armour. They can stay tucked away for hours.
Turtles are some of the oldest animals on Earth. Their ancestors were swimming around at the same time as the dinosaurs. The European pond turtle's design has barely changed in millions of years - which suggests it is a pretty good design.