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Softshell turtles: Spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) Pleurodira – 3 families, 16 genera, over 60 species Family Genera Common names Example species Example image Chelidae Gray, 1831 : 15: Austro-American sideneck turtles: Common snakeneck turtle (Chelodina longicollis) Pelomedusidae Cope, 1868 : 2: Afro-American sideneck turtles
The necks of turtles are highly flexible, possibly to compensate for their rigid shells. Some species, like sea turtles, have short necks while others, such as snake-necked turtles, have long ones. Despite this, all turtle species have eight neck vertebrae, a consistency not found in other reptiles but similar to mammals. [31]
Other sea turtle species are smaller, ranging from as little as 60 cm (2 ft) long in the case of the Kemp's ridley, which is the smallest sea turtle species, to 120 cm (3.9 ft) long in the case of the green turtle, the second largest. [5] [12] The skulls of sea turtles have cheek regions that are enclosed in bone.
Turtles have been classified in different ways by different authors. While they were previously considered anapsids , they are now considered more derived. [ 1 ] Recent analyses of molecular evidence have strongly suggested that they belong in the clade Archosauromorpha (also known as Archelosauria). [ 2 ]
This category contains articles about the family in the order Testudines - the turtles. For individual species, see the appropriate subcategories. For individual species, see the appropriate subcategories.
The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large freshwater turtle in the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada , southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains , as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida .
Certain species consume worms or insects and carrion in their normal habitats. Too much protein is detrimental in herbivorous species, and has been associated with shell deformities and other medical problems. Different tortoise species vary greatly in their nutritional requirements.
Turtles of North America. Turtles , tortoises , and terrapins native to terrestrial−land , freshwater , and coastal marine ecosystems and habitats of North America , including in the sub-bioregions of Central America and the Caribbean .