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Spanish explorers, who discovered the islands in the 16th century, named them after the Spanish galápago, meaning "tortoise". [5] Galápagos tortoises are native to seven of the Galápagos Islands. Shell size and shape vary between subspecies and populations. On islands with humid highlands, the tortoises are larger, with domed shells and ...
Turtle carapaces and scutes from Red Sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) were used in rings, bracelets, dishes, bowls, knife hilts, amulets, and combs. Carapaces from Kleinmann's tortoise were used as sounding boards for lutes, harps and mandolins. [16] Turtle shells were also used to make norvas, an instrument resembling a banjo. [26]
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 ...
General American usage agrees; turtle is often a general term; tortoise is used only in reference to terrestrial turtles or, more narrowly, only those members of Testudinidae, the family of modern land tortoises; and terrapin may refer to turtles that are small and live in fresh and brackish water, in particular the diamondback terrapin ...
Turtles of South America — turtles, tortoises, and terrapins native to terrestrial−land, freshwater, and coastal marine ecosystems and habitats of South America. Subcategories This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.
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 ]
This is a list of all reptiles living in Spain, both in the Iberian Peninsula and other territories such as Ceuta, Melilla, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands (including marine reptiles that can be found on its shores).
The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea) is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae and genus Aldabrachelys. The species is endemic to the Seychelles , with the nominate subspecies , A. g. gigantea native to Aldabra atoll.