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Satellite tracking reveals sea turtle feeding hotspots

Satellite tracking of threatened loggerhead sea turtles has revealed two previously unknown feeding 'hotspots' in the Gulf of Mexico that are providing important habitat for at least three separate populations of the turtles, ...

Biology / Ecology

created Feb 06, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Endangered turtle baby boom in Philippines

Globally endangered green turtles are enjoying a baby boom on remote Philippine islands as a three-decade protection programme starts to pay off, environment group Conservation International said Wednesday.

Biology / Ecology

created Feb 01, 2012 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Turtles' mating habits protect against effects of climate change

The mating habits of marine turtle may help to protect them against the effects of climate change, according to new research led by the University of Exeter. Published today in the journal Proceedings of th ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 24, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (3) | comments 2 | with audio podcast

Extremely rare turtle released into the wild

The Wildlife Conservation Society, in conjunction with the Cambodian Fisheries Administration and Wildlife Reserves Singapore, announced today the successful release of a Southern River terrapin (Batagur af ...

Biology / Ecology

created Jan 18, 2012 | popularity 3.6 / 5 (18) | comments 0

Philippines seizes butchered pangolins

Philippine wildlife authorities seized a huge shipment of meat and scales from up to a hundred slaughtered pangolins, also known as scaly anteaters, officials said on Friday.

Biology / Ecology

created Jan 06, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 3

6 Chinese charged for turtle catch in Philippines

(AP) -- Six Chinese fishermen accused of poaching endangered sea turtles were charged in a Philippine court Monday, part of efforts to protect threatened wildlife along the country's coastline.

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 04, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Baby turtles don't just go with the flow

At just a few centimeters long, hatchling loggerhead turtles may seem powerless to resist being swept around the Atlantic Ocean by powerful currents.

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 02, 2011 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Flood-ravaged turtles released in Moreton Bay

(PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Queensland biological researcher has led the Moreton Bay release of four turtles that suffered starvation and illness from the January floods.

Biology / Ecology

created Dec 01, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Turtle embryos speed up development to hatch in the safety of a group

Australian freshwater turtle embryos can sense how developed other babies are in their eggs and then speed up their own growth to hatch with the most advanced of their siblings, according to new research.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 30, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Reduced bone density, stunted growth in turtles exposed to common chemical

Manufactured until 1977, and banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1979, pentachlorobiphenyls (PCBs) are chemicals still commonly found in the environment because they break down slowly. Now, a ...

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 16, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Talbot Bay coral discovery defies conventional belief

Kimberley coral reefs are thriving in turbid inter-tidal conditions and defying conventional scientific understandings that corals need clear oceanic waters to survive.

Space & Earth / Environment

created Nov 09, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 3

Survey identifies sea turtle 'hitchhikers'

A recent survey documented the crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other marine organisms that make a home on the bodies Olive Ridley and green sea turtles living in the Pacific.

Biology / Ecology

created Nov 08, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

NOAA releases status on Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary marine resources

NOAA scientists have found that pressure from increasing coastal populations, ship and boat groundings, marine debris, poaching, and climate change are critically threatening the health of the Florida Keys ecosystem. Many ...

Space & Earth / Environment

created Oct 21, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1

How learning more about mass nesting can help conserve sea turtles

Ecologists are a step closer to understanding one of nature's most extraordinary sights – the 'arribada' or synchronised mass nesting of female olive ridley sea turtles. The new study, published today ...

Biology / Ecology

created Oct 18, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Wildlife groups sue for more protection of turtles

(AP) -- Several wildlife protection groups are suing the federal agency that regulates fishing in U.S. waters, claiming the government isn't doing enough to protect endangered sea turtles from drowning in shrimp nets.

Biology / Ecology

created Oct 14, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Turtle

Cryptodira Pleurodira and see text

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines (the crown group of the superorder Chelonia), characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. "Turtle" may either refer to the Testudines as a whole, or to particular Testudines which make up a form taxon that is not monophyletic—see also sea turtle, terrapin, tortoise, and the discussion below.

The order Testudines includes both extant (living) and extinct species. The earliest known turtles date from 215 million years ago, making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups and a more ancient group than lizards and snakes. About 300 species are alive today, and some are highly endangered.

Like other reptiles, turtles are ectotherms—varying their internal temperature according to the ambient environment, commonly called cold-blooded. Like other amniotes (reptiles, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals), they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water. The largest turtles are aquatic.

For more information about Turtle, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.