TURTLESTORTOISES  Dwell in the water  Mostly flat shells  Relatively light shells  Omnivores  Life span of years  Oldest was 86 years  Tortoises dwell on the land  Mostly dome shamed shells  Very heavy shells  Herbivores  Life span of years  Oldest was 326 years

TURTLESTORTOISES

Turtle man

 Characteristics  Breathe through lungs  Can hold breath up to 3 hours  Cold blooded  Dry skin with scales  Two pairs of legs (except snakes)  Three chambered heart (except crocs and allis.)  Internal fertilization  External development (eggs)

 There are 8 species of turtles out there! Kemp Ridley Hawksbill

Green Leatherbacks Flatback

loggerhead Pacific black Olive Ridley

 Most species are omnivores  Hawksbill eats only sponges  Leatherbacks eat only jellyfish  They do not have teeth, just a large beak.  Most common items they eat are crabs, sea grass, jellyfish, seaweed, etc.

 The turtle shell is made out of two parts  Carapace (top)  Plastron (bottom)  The shell is made up of many, many bones!

 Flip your turtle over…  If the shell is convex (pokes out), it is a female.  If the shell is concave (pokes in), it’s a male.

 Turtles heart can continue to beat outside of their body!  qYo qYo

 Male or female?  Another way to tell  Male turtles have thicker and longer tails  Males also have the cloaca farther away from their body.

 Surprisingly, the male turtles have a sexual organ just like mammals.  The organ protrudes through the cloaca when filled with a fluid.  Sometimes, the males use their organ as a sign of dominance while relaxing.

 The females have all the normal internal organs to reproduce.  The males mount the female from behind and insert his organ into her cloaca.  Some females can store sperm in the oviducts for months at a time  The female is fertilized in the oviducts just as any mammal.

 The female will lay eggs on a beach in the sand and will never return for her young.   The gender of the turtle while developing is based on the temperature of the nest.  Cooler temperatures favor the development of males.  It takes eggs about 7 to 10 weeks to hatch, depending on temperature.

 Yes it’s very true!  Due to coastal development, harvesting of eggs, and climate change, boat traffic, and sea pollution our turtle population has significantly decreased.

 DY DY