File : Animals Carapace Turtle in digital format

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Turtles (Testudines), or Chelonians, form an order of reptiles whose characteristic is to have a carapace. There are currently (December 2019) 343 recorded species with various characteristics, but all are distinguished from other reptiles by a carapace that consists of a plastron on the belly and a dossière on top, connected by two bridges on the sides of the body. They are traditionally separated into three groups: land turtles (about 70 species), aquatic turtles, or freshwater turtles (about 260 species), and marine turtles (7 species). Turtles are oviparous and lay eggs between 10 and 12 months. Hatchlings grow quickly, then their development slows down. Turtles' diet can consist of meat or plants depending on the species. The 86 genera of turtles are divided into 14 families. They are distributed over much of the globe and can live in a wide variety of habitats. Forty-two percent of these species are threatened with extinction, either due to habitat destruction or excessive predation. In both cases, the influence of humans is very important, despite the protection actions implemented.