Testudines
| Turtles Fossil range: Triassic - Recent |
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 "Chelonia" from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur, 1904
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| Scientific classification | ||||||||
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| Diversity | ||||||||
| ca. 300 species in 14 extant families. | ||||||||
 blue: sea turtles, black: land turtles
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| Suborders | ||||||||
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Cryptodira |
Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins are reptiles of the Order Testudines (all living turtles belong to the crown group Chelonia), most of whose body is shielded by a special bony or cartilagenous shell developed from their ribs. The Order Testudines includes both extant (living) and extinct species, the earliest known turtles being from around 215 million years ago,[1] making turtles one of the oldest reptile groups, and a much more ancient group than lizards and snakes. About 300 species are alive today; some are highly endangered. Turtles are ectothermic.
Taxonomy
Suborder Paracryptodira (extinct)
Suborder Cryptodira
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- Family Chelydridae (Snapping Turtles)
- Family Meiolaniidae (Horned turtle, extinct)
- Superfamily Chelonioidea (Sea Turtles)
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- Family Protostegidae (extinct)
- Family Thalassemyidae (extinct)
- Family Toxochelyidae (extinct)
- Family Cheloniidae (Green Sea Turtles and relatives)
- Family Dermochelyidae (Leatherback Turtles)
- Superfamily Kinosternoidea
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- Family Dermatemydidae (River Turtles)
- Family Kinosternidae (Mud Turtles)
- Family Platysternidae (Big-headed Turtles)
- Superfamily Testudinoidea
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- Family Haichemydidae (extinct)
- Family Lindholmemydidae (extinct)
- Family Sinochelyidae (extinct)
- Family Emydidae (Pond Turtles/Box and Water Turtles)
- Family Geoemydidae (Asian River Turtles, Leaf and Roofed Turtles, Asian Box Turtles)
- Family Testudinidae (Tortoises)
- Superfamily Trionychoidea
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- Family Adocidae (extinct)
- Family Carettochelyidae (Pignose Turtles)
- Family Trionychidae (Softshell Turtles)
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Suborder Pleurodira
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- Family Araripemydidae (extinct)
- Family Proterochersidae (extinct)
- Family Chelidae (Austro-American Sideneck Turtles)
- Superfamily Pelomedusoidea
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- Family Bothremydidae (extinct)
- Family Pelomedusidae (Afro-American Sideneck Turtles)
- Family Podocnemididae (Madagascan Big-headed and American Sideneck River Turtles)
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References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
