Endangered Animals Turtle & Tortoise: Science & Education of Endangered Animals Turtle & Tortoise

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• published: 30 May 2015
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Endangered Animals Turtle and Tortoise: Science and Education of Endangered Animals Turtle and Tortoise Turtle, tortoise, and terrapin: what’s the difference? All turtles, tortoises, and terrapins are reptiles. Turtle— Spends most of its life in the water. Turtles tend to have webbed feet for swimming. Sea turtles (Cheloniidae family) are especially adapted for an aquatic life, with long feet that form flippers and a streamlined body shape. They rarely leave the ocean, except when the females come ashore to lay their eggs, although some species, such as the green sea turtle, do come out on reefs and beaches to bask. Other turtles live in fresh water, like ponds and lakes. They swim, but they also climb out onto banks, logs, or rocks to bask in the sun. In cold weather, they may burrow into the mud, where they go into torpor until spring brings warm weather again. Tortoise— A land-dweller that eats low-growing shrubs, grasses, and even cactus. Tortoises do not have webbed feet; their feet are round and stumpy for walking on land. Tortoises that live in hot, dry habitats use their strong forelimbs to dig burrows. Then, when it’s too hot in the sun, they slip underground. Terrapin— Spends its time both on land and in water, but it always lives near water, along rivers, ponds, and lakes. Terrapins are often found in brackish, swampy areas. The word “terrapin” comes from an Algonquian word for turtle. Sea turtles are one of the Earth's most ancient creatures. The seven species that can be found today have been around for 110 million years, since the time of the dinosaurs. The sea turtle's shell, or "carapace" is streamlined for swimming through the water. Unlike other turtles, sea turtles cannot retract their legs and head into their shells. Their color varies between yellow, greenish and black depending on the species. No other tortoise in North America shares the extreme conditions of habitats occupied by the desert tortoise. It has a high domed shell, which is usually brown in adults and dark tan in younger individuals. Its powerful limbs are equipped with claws to dig its underground burrows, and its front limbs are protected with a covering of thick scales. A desert tortoise's diet is made up of a variety of vegetation, including annual wildflowers, grasses, and new growth of selected shrubs, cacti and their flowers. Desert tortoises forage in the spring and again in the fall. During the late summer, desert tortoises may emerge from their underground burrows to drink standing water after periodic thunderstorms. Increased water intake allows them to forage on dried herbaceous vegetation and grasses. Snapping turtles are freshwater turtles that live and eat in shallow lakes and ponds with soft, muddy bottoms. What do snapping turtles eat? Snapping turtles are omnivores, so they like to eat both plants and animals. However, there are two main types of snapping turtles and each type has a unique ways to catch its food. Pancake tortoises, the sole member of their genus, possess a carapace (upper shell) that is flat or even sway-backed, and so flexible - a result of gaps between the rigid, bony plates - that it can easily be squeezed between thumb and forefinger. Colored yellow-tan with dark rings, the shell provides excellent camouflage. The limbs and tail are brown, tan or yellow-tan in color. Pancake tortoises reach 6-7 inches in length yet are merely 1-1 ½ inches in “height”. References: Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoise http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_turtle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_tortoise http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake_tortoise Reptile Magazine: http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Turtles-Tortoises/ San Diego Zoo: http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/turtle-tortoise Defenders: http://www.defenders.org/desert-tortoise/basic-facts http://www.defenders.org/sea-turtles/basic-facts http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/01/turtle-facts/ Pet Education: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1797&aid;=947 Londolozi: http://www.londolozi.com/cubsden/whats-the-difference-between-turtles-tortoises-and-terrapins/ Conserve Turtles: http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=harvest North America Aquarium: http://www.ncaquariums.com/ask-the-aquarium/what-is-the-difference-between-turtles-terrapins-and-tortoises Scholastic: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/explorations/adaptation/libraryarticle.asp?ItemID=32&SubjectID;=120&categoryID;=2 Animal Whoop: http://animalwhoop.com/what-do-terrapins-eat/ Hoggle Zoo: http://www.hoglezoo.org/meet_our_animals/animal_finder/african_pancake_tortoise/ Arkive: http://www.arkive.org/pancake-tortoise/malacochersus-tornieri/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD7mUjB8KCXiMc6LVi2DjPQ/playlists http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD7mUjB8KCXiMc6LVi2DjPQ?annotation_id=551fdb1d-0000-2819-8046-001a113ac1a8&src;_vid=mTsxFZE4ZVY&feature;=iv⊂_confirmation=1