GREEN TURTLE
(Chelonia mydas)

This is one of seven turtles that spend almost all their lives at sea. Like other marine species, its shell is smooth and streamlined, and its front legs beat like wings to pull it through the water. It can stay under water for over half an hour without surfacing to breathe. It feeds on seagrass and seaweed, nipping off mouthfuls with its sharpedged jaws. Green turtles nest on sandy beaches, hauling themselves ashore under the cover of darkness. Each female lays about 100 eggs. Three months later, the baby turtles dig to the surface ad scuttle toward the waves. This is the most perilous moment of a turtle's life; seabirds often attack young tutles before they can swimm away. Green turtle nesting sites are often in remote places, and adult turtles may travel over 1,000 mi. to breed. Scientists think that they navigate the same way fish do-by recognizing the taste of the water where they hatch.

LEATHERBACK TURTLE
(Dermochelys coriacea)

The leatherback is the world's largest turtle, sometimes weighing more than half a ton. Its enormous, winglike front flippers can measure 8 ft. from tip to tip. Unlike other marine turtles, its scaleless shell has a rubbery feel, with deep grooves running from front to back. Leatherbacks are great travelers and may wander far out into the ocean. One leatherback tagged off South America turned up on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean-nearly 4,300 mi. away. The leatherback is now critically endangered because it has been hunted extensively by people.

WOOD TURTLE
(Clemmys insculpta)

This North American turtle is equally at home on land and in water. It hybernates in ponds and lakes, but in the summer, it often wanders across farms and through woods, looking for fruit and animals such as insects and worms. It is a good swimmer, but it also climbs well and sometimes clambers up tree trunks. Wood turtles have rough shells, and their scales look as if they have been cut into steps. The skin on their neck and forelegs is often orange.

DIAMONDBACK TERRAPIN
(Malachlemys terrapin)

Terrapins are small turtles that live in or near water. Most of them are freshwater animals, but the diamondback lives in estuaries and saltmarshes, where it feeds mainly on worms and snails. Its colors can vary greatly, but like most terrapins, its underside is usually much more eye-catching than the top of its shell, often with orange or yellow streaks and patches of black. Diamondback terrapins nest above the high-tide mark. The females dig several nests, laying up to a dozen eggs in each one. The young terrapins are only about 1 in. long when they hatch, and they mature slowly. They often do not breed until they are 10 years old.

ALLIGATOR SNAPPING TURTLE
(Macrochlemys temmincki)

This giant turtle is the largest freshwater species and the most dangerous. It has a knobby shell, a spiked neck, and a long tail. It lurks on the bottom of rivers and lakes with its mouth open wide, wiggling a pink, wormlike thread of skin at the end of its tounge. If a fish approaches to investigate, the turtle's massive jaws snap shut. Because the turtle stays so still, it uses very little oxygen, and it can stay under water for hours without surfacing to breathe. No one knows exactly how large these turtles can grow. One example, seen in 1948, probably weighed more than 500 lb. and was said to be as large as a kitchen table.

SPUR-THIGHED TORTOISE
(Testudo graeca)

There are about 40 kinds of land tortoises; this medium-sized species is one of the few that lives in Europe. It got its name from the small spur on each of its front legs. Spur-thighed tortoises live in scrub and rocky places. They spend the morning and evening looking for plants to eat and rest during the hottest part of the day. The females lay two or three eggs each year, which take about three months to hatch. In the past, these tortoises were collected and sold as pets, but they are now protected by law.

GALAPAGOS GIANT TORTOISE
(Geochelone elephantopus)

Weighing up to 800 lb., the Galapagos giant tortoise looks almost too heavy to move. It is one of only two species of giant tortoises in the world-the other lives on the remote Aldabra islands, north of Madagascar. Galapagos giant tortoises feed on cactus and other plants. The tortoises vary from one island to another, and some have extra-long necks that help them reach their food. These huge animals can live for more than 100 years, but they face an increasing struggle to survive. In the past, they were often used as food by sailors, and now only a few thousand are left.

**All Facts and Information contained in this website can be found in the following reference materials: The Kingfisher Illustrated Animal Encyclopedia and The Complete Book of Animals from The American Education Publishers