Turtle | Species, Classification, & Facts | Britannica
2025年1月11日 · Turtle, any reptile with a body encased in a bony shell, including tortoises. The turtle shell has a top (carapace) and a bottom (plastron). The carapace and plastron are bony structures that usually join one another along each side of the body, creating a rigid skeletal box.
Sea turtle | Description, Species, Habitat, & Facts | Britannica
2025年1月11日 · Sea turtle, any of seven species of marine turtles belonging to the families Dermochelyidae (leatherback sea turtles) and Cheloniidae (green turtles, flatback sea turtles, loggerhead sea turtles, hawksbills, and ridleys).
Turtle - Reptile, Classification, Adaptations | Britannica
2025年1月11日 · Turtle - Reptile, Classification, Adaptations: The title of the turtle order was formerly Testudinata, although the term Chelonia was also regularly used. Order Testudines comprises two suborders, Cryptodira with 263 species in 11 families and Pleurodira with 93 species in 3 families.
Turtle - Evolution, Adaptation, Conservation | Britannica
2025年1月11日 · Turtle - Evolution, Adaptation, Conservation: The earliest turtles known date to the Late Permian Epoch. Many of the oldest and most primitive forms lacked a shell, plastron, and a carapace. The oldest sea turtle is known from the mid-Cretaceous.
Turtle - Adaptations, Habitats, Lifespan | Britannica
2025年1月11日 · Turtles have adapted to a remarkable variety of environments, but the greatest number of species occur in southeastern North America and South Asia. In both areas, most species are aquatic, living in bodies of water ranging from small ponds and bogs to …
Habitats, diets, and characteristics of turtles | Britannica
turtle, Any of approximately 300 species (order Testudines) of reptiles that have a bony shell overlaid with horny shields and are found in most parts of the world. Turtles have existed for 200 million years, making them the oldest of all surviving reptiles.
Snapping turtle | Description & Facts | Britannica
The alligator snapping turtle, Macrochelys temminckii, is the largest freshwater turtle in the United States. It is found primarily in southern and central regions; however, non-native populations are found in various other states and in South Africa, where it is considered an invasive species
Alligator snapping turtle | Size, Habitat, Diet, & Facts | Britannica
2025年1月7日 · Alligator snapping turtle, (Macrochelys temminckii), species of freshwater turtle in the family Chelydridae. The alligator snapping turtle is the largest species of freshwater turtle in North America and one of the largest turtles in the world.
Leatherback sea turtle | Size, Diet, Adaptations, & Facts - Britannica
2025年1月11日 · Leatherback sea turtle, (Dermochelys coriacea), species of sea turtle notable because it lacks scales and a hard shell. It sports a bony carapace covered with black or brown skin with a texture similar to leather, which gives the turtle its name.
Reptile | Definition, Characteristics, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
6 天之前 · A reptile is any member of the class Reptilia, the group of air-breathing vertebrates that have internal fertilization, amniotic development, and epidermal scales covering part or all of their body. The major groups of living reptiles are turtles, tuatara, lizards, snakes, and crocodiles.