Animals

Turtle By: Evelynn xxxxxxxx

Did you know that here are about 250 species of turtles? We'll it's true and that’s a lot! Turtles are reptiles, which means that they are cold blooded animals and that they hatch from eggs. A female sea turtle goes on a beach at night to lay eggs. They go at night to be safe from enemies. The place they lay there eggs are called spawning grounds. The temperature of the nest affects whether the egg will grow into a girl or a boy. Above 29 degrees it will be a female, under 29 degrees it will be male. The female digs a nest then lays the eggs in the nest then covers them with sand. Males never come ashore. Females only come on shore to lay eggs. URTLES

These shelled reptiles are very intelligent animals. They don't have teeth, but they have a beak. They use there beaks to eat food. They eat snails,worms,insects,jellyfish and shell fish. Some can live over a year without food.

The top of this cold blooded beauty's shell is called a carpace. The bottom of they're shell is called a plastron. Turtles rely on their hard shell for protection. They can live to be over 100 years old. They are one of the oldest forms of life. They live longer than most animals. These toothless reptiles can not breathe under water. Some species of turtles have a good sense of smell and eyesight.

Turtles are found in most parts of the world. Turtles are known for moving slow. They have flippers, not legs. Turtles that live on land are called tortoise. A group of turtles is called a bale.

The smallest turtles are 4 inches long. The largest can be up to 7 or more feet long. Box turtles can be 6 inches in length. Some turtles can weigh more than 1500 pounds! Horny hard shell. The scales are made of keratin. A Box turtles shell is orange and black.

Turtles have flippers to help them swim most parts of the world. Turtles are known for moving slow. They have flippers, not legs. Some of these gentle giants live in ponds,oceans,rivers,lakes and on land. Box turtles live on land.

Box turtles lay 2 to 7 eggs at a time. All turtles lay eggs on land. Females only come on land to lay eggs. Male turtles probably never come on shore except at time of birth.

Not very much is known about turtle communication. Turtles do use some sort of communication when it is time to mate. One of the ways they communicate is by bobbing their heads at each other.

Threats to turtles are that some species are close to extinction because people eat their meat and use their shells to make jewelry. Turtles habitats are being destroyed by people.

Works cited Arnosky, Jim. //All About Turtles// . New York: Scholastic Press, 2000. Print. "Common Box Turtle." //Amazing Animals of the World// . N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2012. Craig, Janet. //Now I Know:Turtles// . Troll Associates, Not given. Print. //Nation Zoological Park// . Np, nd. Web. 16 Feb. 2012.12. Reptiles Discovery Center." //Smithsonian Nation Zoological Park// . Np, nd. Web "Reptile Guide." <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Animal planet// <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">. Discovery Communications, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 20 "Reptiles Discovery Center." <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Smithsonian// <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">Serventy, Vincent. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Animals In The Wild:Turtle And Tortoise// <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">. Rain Tree Streck-Vaughn, 1992. Print. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">"Turtle." <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Britannica Elementary Encyclopedia// <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">. EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica Online School Edition, 2012. Web The <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;"> //River Turtle// <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">. 2005. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">//Discovery Education// <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif;">. 2012 Web.6 Feb. 2012.