Turtle
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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.
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News tagged with turtles
No place like home: New theory for how salmon, sea turtles find their birthplace
Biology /
Dec 01, 2008 |
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How marine animals find their way back to their birthplace to reproduce after migrating across thousands of miles of open ocean has mystified scientists for more than a century. But marine biologists at the University of ...
Leatherback turtles' newly discovered migration route may be roadmap to salvation
Biology /
Jul 15, 2008 |
4.9 / 5 (9) |
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With a name like "Leatherback Turtle" you might think the sea turtles could stand up to just about anything the ocean can throw at them, and for more than a hundred million years, they have. But tough, long-lived critters ...
Prehistoric turtle goes to hospital for CT scan in search for skull, eggs, embryos
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Apr 15, 2009 |
3.9 / 5 (7) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Michael Knell carried a 75-million-year-old turtle into Bozeman Deaconess hospital recently, then laid it carefully on the bed that slides into the CT scanner.
Study finds high mortality of endangered loggerhead sea turtles in Baja California
Oct 14, 2008 |
5 / 5 (5) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Along the southern coast of Baja California, Mexico, scientists have been counting the carcasses of endangered sea turtles for a decade as part of an effort to assess and eliminate threats ...
Prehistoric Turtle Threatened by Modern Menace
Mar 13, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
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They survived the extinction of the dinosaurs. They're descendants of one of the oldest family trees in history, spanning 100 million years. But today leatherback turtles, the most widely distributed reptiles ...
Uni-flipper turtle gets it straight with swimsuit
Apr 11, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Allison, a green sea turtle with only one flipper, has been going around and around and around for most of her life.
Turtles alter nesting dates due to temperature change
Biology /
Nov 06, 2008 |
3 / 5 (4) |
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Turtles nesting along the Mississippi River and other areas are altering their nesting dates in response to rising temperatures, says a researcher from Iowa State University.
Turtle thought to be extinct spotted in Myanmar
Sep 07, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The rare Arakan forest turtle, once though to be extinct, has been rediscovered in a remote forest in Myanmar, boosting chances of saving the reptile after hunting almost destroyed its population, ...
Rare prehistoric pregnant turtle found in Utah
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
May 08, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
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(AP) -- Paleontologists say a 75-million-year-old turtle fossil uncovered in southern Utah has a clutch of eggs inside, making it the first prehistoric pregnant turtle found in the United States.
Testing begins to save legendary Vietnam turtle
Jun 13, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (2) |
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Researchers have begun testing mechanical "SediTurtles" they say will protect a legendary Vietnamese turtle while cleaning the historical lake in which the creature lives.
Revealing the evolutionary history of threatened sea turtles
Biology /
Oct 15, 2008 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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It's confirmed: Even though flatback turtles dine on fish, shrimp, and mollusks, they are closely related to primarily herbivorous green sea turtles. New genetic research carried out by Eugenia Naro-Maciel, ...
Scientists identify world's largest leatherback turtle population
May 18, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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An international team of scientists has identified a nesting population of leatherback sea turtles in Gabon, West Africa as the world's largest. The research, published in the May issue of Biological Conservation, involv ...
Feds reviewing humpback whale endangered status
Sep 27, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The federal government is considering taking the humpback whale off the endangered species list in response to data showing the population of the massive marine mammal has been steadily growing in ...
Scientists track green turtle’s 900km migration
Oct 02, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- University of Exeter scientists are part of the first team to monitor a sea turtle's journey from the Turks and Caicos Islands. The adult female green turtle, named ‘Suzie’ by local fishermen, ...
Captive turtle found to have infectious disease
Oct 05, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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An Australian veterinary student said Monday she has documented the country's first known case of a bred-in-captivity turtle acquiring a highly infectious disease which could potentially spread to humans.
