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How do sea turtles protect themselves? The most obvious answer to this question is prominently displayed upon their backs. The hard, bony external shell, called a carapace, not only indicates the relative age and species of sea turtles; it also functions as a natural suit of armor.

Unlike land turtles, however, sea turtles cannot retract their heads and limbs under their shells. Their bodies are streamlined for endurance and speed in the water, which comes in handy when adult sea turtles are confronted by their primary predators: large sharks and killer whales. Ironically, the characteristics that make them powerful swimmers (large paddle-like foreflippers and smaller, rudder-like hind flippers) also make sea turtles clumsy and virtually powerless on land.

In addition to their shells, sea turtles are armed with claws on each foreflipper, large upper eyelids to protect their eyes, and acute senses of sight and smell under water. Neither sea turtles nor land turtles have teeth, but they have well-built jaws that vary in shape according to species and diet (herbivore, carnivore or omnivore).

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10y ago

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