Turtles
Turtles are reptiles characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. The earliest known turtles date from 157 million years ago. Turtles are ectotherms—they vary their internal temperature according to the ambient environment (commonly known as cold-bloodedness). However, leatherback sea turtles have noticeably higher body temperature than surrounding water because of their high metabolic rate. Though turtles live in and around water, they breathe air and lay eggs on land.
| More about the turtle... |
Selected article
| Turtles Temporal range: Triassic–Recent |
|
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | Testudines Linnaeus, 1758 |
There are fourteen extant families of the order Testudines, an order of reptile commonly known as turtles, tortoises and terrapins. The testudines are some of the most ancient reptiles alive, with only the tuataras considered more primitive. There are approximately 300 extant species and 97 genera of testudines, split into two suborders: the Cryptodirans and the Pleurodirans. The distinction between these two suborders is based on the mode in which they cover their head and neck. The Pleurodirans, also called the side-necked turtles, have long necks, and fold them sideways to align them with the shell. The Pelomedusidae and Chelidae are the only extant families of pleurodires. The Cryptodirans pull their neck straight back to conceal their head within the shell. The Carettochelyidae, Cheloniidae, Chelydridae, Dermatemydidae, Dermochelyidae, Emydidae, Kinosternidae, Testudinidae and Trionychidae are all cryptodires, although the ability to retract the head has been lost in the sea turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae). A third order, the Paracryptodirans, are extinct.
WikiProjects
WikiProjects related to turtles:
Did you know?
- ... that the extinct sea turtle Psephophorus was once mistaken as an ancient armadillo due to the specimen's poor condition?
Selected picture
A young pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta)) in captivity in Slovakia. Showing the "flying" mode of swimming of this species.
Categories
Article alerts for WikiProject Turtles
|
| Updated daily |
Things you can do
Get involved with WikiProject Turtles discussion.
 |
Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
|
Topics
- African spurred tortoise
- Aldabra giant tortoise
- Alligator snapping turtle
- Arakan forest turtle
- Archelon
- Blanding's turtle
Bog turtle- Box turtle
- Chelidae
- Cheloniidae
- Chelydridae
- Common snapping turtle
- Cryptodira
- Desert tortoise
- Diamondback terrapin
- Eastern box turtle
- Emydidae
- European pond turtle
- Flatback sea turtle
- Florida softshell turtle
- Galápagos tortoise
- Geochelone
- Geochelone nigra abingdoni
- Geoemydidae
- Giant tortoise
- Gopherus polyphemus
- Graptemys
- Green turtle
- Hawksbill sea turtle
- Hermann's tortoise
- Hoan Kiem turtle
- Indian star tortoise
- Kemp's ridley
- Kinosternoidea
- Leatherback sea turtle
- Leopard tortoise
- List of Testudines families
- Loggerhead sea turtle
- Marginated tortoise
- Mata mata
- Meiolania
- Mud turtle
- Odontochelys
- Olive ridley sea turtle
- Painted turtle
- Pancake tortoise
- Pig-nosed turtle
- Pleurodira
- Proganochelys
- Pseudemys
- Radiated tortoise
- Rafetus swinhoei
- Red-eared slider
- Red-footed tortoise
- Russian tortoise
- Sea turtle
- Seychelles giant tortoise
- Speckled padloper tortoise
- Spotted turtle
- Spur-thighed tortoise
- Terrapene carolina
- Testudinoidea
- Tortoise
- Trionychia
- Trionychidae
- Turtle
- Turtle farming
- U.S. state reptiles
- Western pond turtle
Wood turtle- Yellow-bellied slider
Represents a Featured article or a Featured list, Represents a Good articleRelated portals
Wikimedia
- What are portals?
- List of portals
- Featured portals