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The turtle shell is a shield for the ventral and dorsal parts of turtles (the order Testudines), completely enclosing all the vital organs of the turtle and in some cases even the head. [1] It is constructed of modified bony elements such as the ribs, parts of the pelvis and other bones found in most reptiles.
Diagram of a prawn, with the carapace highlighted in red. A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.
Among turtles, observed behaviors include a green turtle holding a jellyfish, a loggerhead rolling a scallop on the sea floor, and a hawksbill turtle pushing against a reef for leverage to rip an anemone loose. [14] Based on presumed limb use in ancestral turtles, these behaviors may have occurred as long ago as 70 million years. [13]
The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae.The average loggerhead measures around 90 cm (35 in) in carapace length when fully grown.
Sea turtles, and several extinct forms, have evolved a bony secondary palate which completely separates the oral and nasal cavities. [30] 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.
An endangered sea turtle has finally been returned to the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico off the Texas coast after its incredible 5,000-mile story of survival that began in Europe one year ago.
In other parts of the world where sea turtle breeding sites are threatened by human activity, volunteers often patrol beaches as a part of conservation activities, which may include relocating sea turtle eggs to hatcheries, or assisting hatching sea turtles in reaching the ocean. [101]
Turtle researchers in the South West have called for cross-border protection efforts, after a new study found females only spend about a fifth of their time in conservation zones.