The computer mouse was originally known as a turtle.

Originally named the 'X–Y position indicator for a display system', there is no evidence that the computer mouse was ever called a turtle.

Originally named the 'X–Y position indicator for a display system', there is no evidence that the computer mouse was ever called a turtle.Douglas Engelbart invented the first computer mouse in 1964. Engelbart and William, a colleague and the mouse maker, envisioned problem-solvers using computer-aided working stations. The ability to interact with information displays using a device to move a cursor around the screen. Several devices were then in use or considered for use like the light pen, joysticks, etc. The inventors, however, looked for the best and the most efficient device.

Engelbart applied for a patent in 1967 and received it for the wooden shell with two metal wheels in 1970, describing it in the patent application as an 'X-Y position indicator for a display system.' For marketing purposes, the inventors chose to call it a mouse because the cord that stuck out resembled a mouse's tail. The improved version of the device was first sold by the Xerox Corporation on April 27, 1981, debuting as part of a personal computer station. Other than being called a mouse, there is no record of the device having other names.