Testudines

Turtles Fossil range: Triassic - Recent
"Chelonia" from Ernst Haeckel\'s Kunstformen der Natur, 1904
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Testudines Linnaeus, 1758
Diversity
ca. 300 species in 14 extant families.
blue: sea turtles, black: land turtles
Suborders
Cryptodira Pleurodira See text for families.

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,http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/dinos/Archelon.shtml 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

Main article: List of Testudines families

Suborder Paracryptodira (extinct)

Suborder Cryptodira

• Family Chelydridae (Snapping Turtles)
• Family Meiolaniidae (Horned turtle, extinct)

• Superfamily Chelonioidea (Sea Turtles)

• Family Protostegidae (extinct)
• Family Thalassemyidae (extinct)
• Family Toxochelyidae (extinct)
• Family Cheloniidae (Green Sea Turtles and relatives)
• Family Dermochelyidae (Leatherback Turtles)

• Superfamily Kinosternoidea

• Family Dermatemydidae (River Turtles)
• Family Kinosternidae (Mud Turtles)
• Family Platysternidae (Big-headed Turtles)

• Superfamily Testudinoidea

• 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

• Family Adocidae (extinct)
• Family Carettochelyidae (Pignose Turtles)
• Family Trionychidae (Softshell Turtles)

Suborder Pleurodira

• Family Araripemydidae (extinct)
• Family Proterochersidae (extinct)
• Family Chelidae (Austro-American Sideneck Turtles)

• Superfamily Pelomedusoidea

• Family Bothremydidae (extinct)
• Family Pelomedusidae (African Sideneck Turtles)
• Family Podocnemididae (Madagascan Big-headed and American Sideneck River Turtles)

References

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia