Turtles

 

The painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The stinkpot turtle is a species of small turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to southeastern Canada and much of the Eastern United States. The snapping turtle is native to the western hemisphere.

As members of the Testudines order of reptiles, turtles are distinguished by a shell that is mostly made from their ribs. The manner the head retracts distinguishes the two main subgroups of modern turtles, the concealed neck turtles and the side-necked turtles. Land-dwelling tortoises and freshwater terrapins are two of the 360 species of living and recently extinct turtles. Most of the world's continents, several islands, and, in the case of sea turtles, a sizable portion of the ocean, are home to them. Although many species are found in or near water, they do not deposit their eggs in it, unlike other reptiles, birds, and mammals. They also breathe air. The majority of the time, genetic evidence shows them to be closely related to birds and crocodilians.

The domed carapace on top and the flattened plastron, often known as the belly-plate, are both formed mostly of bone in turtle shells. Keratin scales, the same substance used to make hair, horns, and claws, coat its exterior. From ribs that expand sideways, the carapace bones form into wide, flat plates that link together to envelop the body. Being "cold-blooded" or ectotherms, turtles experience temperature changes in response to their immediate surroundings. They mostly consume plants and stationary animals and are often opportunistic omnivores. Every season, a lot of turtles travel short distances. Only sea turtles go across great distances to deposit their eggs on a preferred beach.