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The word turtle is borrowed from the French word tortue or tortre 'turtle, tortoise'. [3] It is a common name and may be used without knowledge of taxonomic distinctions. In North America, it may denote the order as a whole. In Britain, the name is used for sea turtles as opposed to freshwater terrapins and land-dwelling tortoises. In Australia ...
Sea turtles, along with other turtles and tortoises, are part of the order Testudines. All species except the leatherback sea turtle are in the family Cheloniidae. The superfamily name Chelonioidea and family name Cheloniidae are based on the Ancient Greek word for tortoise: χελώνη (khelōnē). [16]
Green sea turtles are the most commonly traded species along Java's south coast and are sold in the form of whole, stuffed animals or turtle oil, locally known as "minyak bulus". [112] The geographer James J. Parsons' book titled The Green Turtle and Man played a special role in the conservation movement to save the species from extinction. [113]
The common snapping turtle, as its name implies, is the most widespread. [4] The common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water with its powerful beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific epithet serpentina, meaning "snake-like"). In water, it is likely to flee and hide underwater ...
Both the turtle's common and scientific names come from the leathery texture and appearance of its carapace (Dermochelys coriacea literally translates to "Leathery Skin-turtle"). Older names include "leathery turtle" [7] and "trunk turtle". [16] The common names incorporating "lute" and "luth" compare the seven ridges that run the length of the ...
The even more senior subspecies synonym of californiana ("californian" – Quoy & Gaimard, 1824a [31]) is considered a nomen oblitum ("forgotten name"). [32] Previously, the Galápagos tortoise was considered to belong to the genus Geochelone, known as 'typical tortoises' or 'terrestrial turtles'.
The wood turtle has undergone extensive scientific name changes by various scientists over the course of its history. [6] Today, there are several prominent common names for the wood turtle, including sculptured tortoise, red-legged tortoise, and redleg.
In contrast to their earth-bound relatives, tortoises, sea turtles do not have the ability to retract their heads into their shells. Their plastron, which is the bony plate making up the underside of a turtle or tortoise's shell, is comparably more reduced from other turtle species and is connected to the top part of the shell by ligaments without a hinge separating the pectoral and abdominal ...