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| Testudines | |
|---|---|
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| Florida box turtle (Terrapene carolina) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Unrecognized taxon (fix): | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Perichelydia |
| Order: | Testudines Batsch 1788 |
| Subgroups | |
Cryptodira | |
| Diversity | |
| 14 living families with 356 species | |
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| Blue: sea turtles, black: land turtles | |
Turtles are one of the many reptiles on earth. They have a hard shell, which is useful for camouflage and protection from other animals.
There are two types of turtles: side-necked turtles and hidden neck turtles. Side-necked turtles have long necks, but hidden neck turtles have very small necks.
There are about 356 species of turtles living on land in all continents except Antarctica. They can live in both salt water and fresh water.
Testudines (which includes turtles) includes both living and extinct kinds. The earliest fossil of a turtle was found in China from the early Upper Triassic age. The fossil was from about 220 million years ago. Turtles are one of the oldest reptiles that are not extinct. Turtles have been on earth for longer than lizards, snakes and crocodiles. Turtles come from ancient turtles, which had spiked shells.
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