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Like other amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals) they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water. Turtle shells are made mostly of bone ; the upper part is the domed carapace , while the underside is the flatter plastron or belly-plate.
Eastern box turtles have a high, domelike carapace and a hinged plastron that allows total shell closure. Their shell has a middorsal keel that smooths out with age. [5] The carapace can be of variable coloration but is normally brownish or black and accompanied by a yellowish or orangish radiating pattern of lines, spots, or blotches.
Sea turtles maintain an internal environment that is hypotonic to the ocean. To maintain hypotonicity they must excrete excess salt ions. [50] Like other marine reptiles, sea turtles rely on a specialized gland to rid the body of excess salt, because reptilian kidneys cannot produce urine with a higher ion concentration than sea water. [51]
The ability to bite forcefully is extremely useful for consuming hard-bodied prey items such as mollusks, crustaceans, and turtles along with some plant matter, like nuts and seeds. [42] In 2002, a study reported in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology found that the common snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentina ) registered between 208 and 226 ...
Box turtles require an enclosed outdoor location, consistent sun exposure and a varied diet. Without this, a turtle's growth can be stunted and its immune system weakened. Finding box turtles in the wild and taking them as pets, even for a short period, can have detrimental effects. Box turtles want to stay within the area where they were hatched.
Turtles lay and hatch from eggs – though, like hens, the females can lay eggs without mating. These eggs will not produce baby turtles. For pet turtles, unfertilized eggs should be removed and ...
Physically, the Pascagoula and Pearl map turtles look quite similar with only minute differences in their shell patterns and colors. “But their genetics were very different,” Selman said.
Leatherback turtles have the most hydrodynamic body of any sea turtle, with a large, teardrop-shaped body. A large pair of front flippers powers the turtles through the water. Like other sea turtles, the leatherback has flattened forelimbs adapted for swimming in the open ocean. Claws are absent from both pairs of flippers.