Turtles: The Reptiles with Shells

Turtles are creatures that have been on the planet for at least 215 million years. They are reptiles, which means that they are considered to be cold-blooded. They have to use outside sources in order to regulate their body temperatures. They do not have the ability to regulate their body temperatures internally like mammals, so they have to lie out in the sun in order to warm themselves. Turtles breathe air, and lay eggs. They have shells that they use for protection, and they are able to pull their heads, arms, legs, and tails into their shells to prevent themselves from being harmed. Some species of turtles are considered to be endangered.

Out of all of the different species of turtles that are alive, the leatherback turtles are the largest ones. They live in the water, and can grow to over 6 feet in length. These turtles can weigh up to 2000 pounds. The leatherback turtles that have been found in freshwater do not grow as large as those that are found in salt water. The alligator snapping turtle is found in North America. These turtles typically weight about 250 pounds.

There has been a lot of evidence that has been found by archaeologists that proves that turtles have been around since the prehistoric eras. However, they disappeared when humans began to inhabit different areas of the world. It is thought that their numbers started dwindling because humans were hunting them to use as food. There are only two species of giant turtles that are alive in the world today, and they can be found in the Galapagos Islands and Seychelles. These species of turtles typically grow to about 51 inches in length and weigh about 660 pounds. The smallest turtles of this species can be found in South Africa. These tiny turtles are only 3 inches long and weigh almost 5 ounces.

The placement of the eyes and nostrils of turtles that live in water is extremely important. They are placed in such a way that turtles are able to keep their eyes and nostrils above water while keeping their bodies submerged. This helps them to hide from predators.

You can easily tell if a species of turtle lives in the water or on land by looking at its shell. Turtles that live on land have a rounded shell that makes it more difficult for them to be attacked by predators. However, turtles that live in the water have flat shells, and this helps them to be able to move through water quickly.

Turtles are a species of reptiles that have inhabited the earth very much before the humans did. Today there are quite a few species of these reptiles living both in water and away from it. While some of them are very large some are very small.