Durham, UK - The humble tortoise is simply not known for its speed and agility. What happens, though, when it steps hard onto the accelerator? Well, it quickly becomes the world's fastest tortoise.

Carrying a big and heavy shell around on your back all day would almost certainly be an exhausting and tedious experience.

It shows, too, as tortoises are not known for being nimble or for powering around the place, busy as bees.

Instead, these slow crawlers lumber along like they don't have a care in the world.

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But what happens when this changes, what happens when a tortoise holds the animal world record for being faster than all the rest?

The fastest tortoise in the world is Bertie the "speedster" tortoise, who won the award in 2014 after moving at about 0.92 feet per second. While that may seem like not very far at all – not even the length of a single human step – it's a pretty impressive feat when you compare it to any other tortoise!

Spending his days at Adventure Valley in Durham owned by Marco Calzini, Bertie managed to clock the speed nearly a decade ago – but still remains undefeated. This "speedster," who was officially awarded by Guinness World Records (GWR), took the record from another UK tortoise named Charlie who achieved a speed of 0.41 feet per second in 1977.

Now about 20 years old, Bertie is still going strong and is still very active. He spends a lot of his time with his beloved girlfriend Shelly, with whom he has several children. Those who work at Adventure Valley wonder whether his sons will ever manage to beat his remarkable speed.

"Bertie loves his girlfriend Shelly," explained Calzini in an interview with GWR in 2015.

"He lives with her all the time... And he loved to meet people, most of all, that's what he looks forward to and that's when he puts on a good show."

To achieve this most prestigious of titles, Bertie the "speedster" tortoise had to complete a course of 18 feet, up a gradient of 1:12. He managed to beat the challenge in just 19.59 seconds, thereby achieving his average speed and becoming the fastest tortoise to have ever been recorded.

As a result of his various achievements, and his profoundly friendly attitude towards life and humanity, Bertie is beloved by both the visitors who come and see him at Adventure Valley and all the park's staff. This has the added effect that Bertie has ended up incredibly spoiled, constantly getting treats throughout the day. Perhaps this is why he's so friendly!

Bertie arrived at the park in the early 2010s, having been delivered to Adventure Valley by a woman who emigrated out of the United Kingdom and into another country. He has lived there ever since with Marco and his wife Janine taking special care to look after him properly.

In the video released by GWR, Bertie is seen slowly crawling along the ground, moving at a speed that you might not have thought particularly impressive or special. Yet, this remarkable tortoise has managed to move faster than any other of its kind in recorded history, and his humans are incredibly proud of him for it.

"Everybody here is so proud, especially my wife Janine and all the staff," explained Calzini. "We’re overwhelmed and most of all we’re so proud of Bertie for being a Guinness World Record holder.”

It's pretty impressive for anyone or anything to win a world record, but even more impressive for a tortoise to win a speed-based record. Bertie the "speedster" tortoise managed just that, and he's a legend for it!