Related topics: eggs · sea turtles

Using a scent-detecting dog to find sea turtle eggs

A trio of conservationists from Disney's Animals, Science and Environment, the Canine Academy Inc. and Pepedogs, Inwater Research Group, Inc. has found that a terrier named Dory is better at finding sea turtle eggs in nests ...

Light pollution threatens coastal marine systems, study suggests

Artificial light at night has a profound effect land-based life—from birds to fireflies to humans. But a new study suggests we need to widen our view to include light pollution's effect on coastal marine ecosystems, impacting ...

Ecuador to reintroduce species on Galapagos island

Ecuador's government has announced it will spend $3.4 million on reintroducing 12 endemic bird and turtle species that have disappeared from an island in the Galapagos archipelago where Charles Darwin developed his theory ...

Scientists investigate green sea turtle tumor disease

A new epidemiological study of endangered juvenile green sea turtles in eastern Brazil suggests that factors such as water temperature, salinity and proximity to environmental stressors could trigger the development of a ...

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Turtle

Cryptodira Pleurodira and see text

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines (the crown group of the superorder Chelonia), characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. "Turtle" may either refer to the Testudines as a whole, or to particular Testudines which make up a form taxon that is not monophyletic—see also sea turtle, terrapin, tortoise, and the discussion below.

The order Testudines includes both extant (living) and extinct species. The earliest known turtles date from 215 million years ago, making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups and a more ancient group than lizards and snakes. About 300 species are alive today, and some are highly endangered.

Like other reptiles, turtles are ectotherms—varying their internal temperature according to the ambient environment, commonly called cold-blooded. Like other amniotes (reptiles, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals), they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water. The largest turtles are aquatic.

This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA