Turtles
"Chelonia" from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur, 1904
Turtles
Fossil range: Triassic - Recent
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Sauropsida
Order: Testudines, Linnaeus, 1758
Suborders: Cryptodira, Pleurodira
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the crown group Chelonia), most of whose body is shielded by a special bony or cartilagenous shell developed from their ribs. The Order Testudines includes both extant (living) and extinct species, the earliest turtles being known from the early Triassic Period, making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups, and a much more ancient group than the lizards and snakes. About 300 species are alive today. Some species of turtles are highly endangered. Like birds, turtles are able to detect the Earth's magnetic field with magnetosensors, which allow them to migrate.
This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
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