| Introduction
Turtles definitely are appealing creatures. People readily develop the same
Details...
| |
| Turtle Biology
Prototurtles evolved more than 200 million years ago, and giant ancestors of
Details...
| |
| Scientific Classification and Reptile Evolution
Scientists categorize them according to a classification system devised by the
Details...
| |
| Turtles Known as Reptiles (Reptilia)
The first significant category to pay attention to in this classification scheme
Details...
| |
| Toward the End of the Mesozoic Era
Toward the end of the Mesozoic era, fossil evidence indicates
Details...
| |
| Modern Turtles
During the Mesozoic era, turtles were a far more varied order than they are
Details...
| |
| Shell is Part and Parcel of the Turtle's Body
Most vertebrates have an internal skeleton that is covered with muscle tissue
Details...
| |
| Turtle Shells are Vary in Their Makeup
Both the carapace and the plastron are composed of two layers
Details...
| |
| Shape of theTturtle's Shell
There is a series of five large scutes running from front to back along
Details...
| |
| Turtle's Neck
A turtle's neck is made up of eight vertebral segments
Details...
| |
| Turtle's Skull
The first is the turtle's skull, which is unlike that of other reptiles
Details...
| |
| Turtle Physiology
Mammals, birds, and even other reptiles can take air into their lungs by
Details...
| |
| Breathing Methods
Turtles do have other, less obvious ways of taking in oxygen
Details...
| |
| Cold-Bloodedness
This gives some turtles the ability, for example, to go for several days
Details...
| |
| Among Aquatic Turtles
Turtles take in much of the heat they need from basking in the sun
Details...
| |
| Turtle Locomotion
Humans often think that because of the burden of their shells
Details...
| |
| Senses
The senses of sight and smell are most important to turtles
Details...
| |
| Female Turtles
Aquatic turtles can even find food in cloudy water with their sense of smell
Details...
| |
| Whether Turtles Have Voices
It's not clear whether turtles have voices, though some species definitely are
Details...
| |
| Are Turtles Intelligent
In some ways, asking such a question is pointless because it's too general
Details...
| |
| Animal Shall Not Be Measured By Man.
Similarly, it's undoubtedly futile to attempt to teach a turtle the sorts of tricks
Details...
| |
| Sexual Maturity
The first factor complicating the understanding of turtle sexuality is that not
Details...
| |
| External Characteristics
In general, the following external characteristics can be used to distinguish
Details...
| |
| Courtship and Mating
Courtship and mating for most varieties of turtles begins in the spring
Details...
| |
| Species of Males
For instance, some species of males, notably gopher tortoises, compete with
Details...
| |
| Male and Female Approach Each Other
Some box turtles and wood turtles engage in a kind
Details...
| |
