What do Turtles Eat?

Turtle Eating

Most Turtles are good as pets. They are herbivorous, omnivorous, or carnivorous. Given below are guidelines on their diet: Turtles are reptiles; as such, they are ectothermic or ‘cold-blooded’, just as reptiles are. In addition, turtles come under the amniotes classification. They breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater. The aquatic turtles represent their … Read more

What do Sea Turtles Eat?

Sea Turtle Eating

The species it belongs to determines a sea turtle’s diet Some omnivorous turtles eat all types of plants and animals, whereas the leatherback and the hawksbill are peculiar, surviving mainly on jellyfish (leatherbacks) and sponges (hawksbills). Hawksbills mainly reside in the close vicinity of coral reefs; it is here where they find their principal food, … Read more

Western Pond Turtle

Western Pond Turtle

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Family: Emydidae Genus: Actinemys or Emys Species: A. marmorata Binomial name: Actinemys marmorata or Emys marmorata The Pacific pond turtles or the amazing western pond turtles belong to the species Actinemys marmorata / Emys marmorata. They are small or medium in size. They grow nearly … Read more

Facts About Turtles

Turtle

Turtles are reptiles under the Testudines or Chelonii classification. The peculiarity of this variety is that it has a cartilaginous or bony shell, grown from their ribs which functions like a shield. Turtles trace back to the Chelonian class altogether (American English) or they belong to fresh water and sea dwelling chelonians (British English). The … Read more

Water Turtles or Aquatic Turtles

Water Turtles Aquatic Turtles

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Family: Emydidae Subfamily: Deirochelyinae Genus: Graptemys Species: G. geographica Binomial name: Graptemys geographica Turtles, in their entirety, belong to the Chelonian group (American English) and refer to the freshwater and sea-dwelling chelonian (British English). Turtles fall under the group” amniotes”, along with mammals … Read more

Spotted Turtle

Spotted Turtle

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Family: Emydidae Subfamily: Emydinae Genus: Clemmys Species: C. guttata Binomial name: Clemmys guttata The turtle, Clemmys guttata, or spotted turtle, is a tiny amphibious creature, covering a height of about 8-12 cm (3.1-4.7 in) when mature. Anatomy The spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) also goes by … Read more

Turtles in the News

News

Story of How the Turtle Got Its Shell   Randy JonesHaving discovered a fondness for insects while pursuing her degree in Biology, Randi Jones was quite bugged to know that people usually dismissed these little creatures as “creepy-crawlies”.

Softshell Turtles

Softshell Turtle

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Family: Trionychidae Genus: Apalone Species: A. ferox Binomial name: Apalone ferox The Florida Softshell turtle (Apalone ferox) is a type of soft shell turtle that inhabits the Southeastern United States. Anatomy The typical characteristic of the Florida Softshell turtle is that its carapace … Read more

Sea Turtles

Sea Turtle

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Clade: Panchelonioidea Species: G. geographica Superfamily: Chelonioidea Sea or marine turtles fit into the superfamily “Chelonioidea” and also go by the name, “marine turtles” and belong to the category of reptiles called Testudines. In these, you can find seven species that add to … Read more

Sea Turtle Facts for Kids

Sea Turtles

Among the seven varieties of sea turtles that fall into a group, from leatherback to loggerheads, six are dying out or in danger of existence, on account of inhuman activities. The miserable truth is that they encounter many hazards in their course of journey in the seas – such as unintentional capture and getting entangled … Read more

Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Testudines Family: Cheloniidae Species: L. kempii Binomial name: Lepidochelys kempii The Atlantic Ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys kempii, familiarly known as Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, named after Richard Kemp (the first person to deliver it to Samuel Garman of Harvard) is an endangered species, one of the … Read more

Reeve’s Turtles

Reeve's Turtle

Scientific Classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Testudines Suborder: Cryptodira Superfamily: Testudinoidea Family: Geoemydidae Genus: Mauremys Species: M. reevesii Binomial name: Mauremys reevesii The Chinese three-keeled pond turtle or the Reeves turtles is one of the endangered varieties of Asia because the Chinese collect a lot of them and market them as Chinese … Read more