Turtle or Great Lizard
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Lev. 11:29; Hebrew *tsav*)—one of the land creatures declared unclean. Older Russian, Slavonic, and English translations sometimes rendered the word “tortoise” or “turtle,” while many modern versions prefer “great lizard.” The exact species is uncertain; the source itself observes that a large lizard may be meant rather than a zoological tortoise.