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.

Further reading

• Iskandar, DT (2000). Turtles and Crocodiles of Insular Southeast Asia and New Guinea. ITB, Bandung.

Links

• Florida Sea Turtle information Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Fish and Wildlife Research Institute
• UC Berkeley Museum of Paleontology
• Turtle Trax: Excellent marine turtle site
• California Turtle and Tortoise Club: Informative and entertaining in equal measure
• Gulf Coast Turtle and Tortoise Society: Care Information, Species Descriptions, and More.
• Turtles of the World: Extensive information on all known turtles, tortoises and terrapins, including key and quiz.
• Chelonia: Conservation and Care of Turtles.
• Chelidae.com All of South American Side-necked Turtles
• Chelonian studbook Collection and display of the weights/sizes of captive turtles

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.