order testudinate

Question 1

what are the 2 sub-orders?

Answer 1

pleurodira - side neck

cryptodira - hidden neck

Question 2

how are the shells formed?

Answer 2

bones overlayed by keratin = scutes

Question 3

what do the shells consist of?

Answer 3

dorsal carapace

ventral plastron

Question 4

what is the largest turtle?

Answer 4

leatherback sea turtles, lack shell

Question 5

how do turtles feed?

Answer 5

beaks - lack teeth = edentulous

keratinous beak - rhamphotheca

different species have different morphologies

Question 6

how do most turtles excrete urea?

Answer 6

uricotelic urinary bladder

though freshwater turtles excrete urea

Question 7

how do turtles reproduce?

Answer 7

penis lies in ventral floor of the cloaca
erected by blood
sperms enters the urethral groove

Question 8

how do turtles nest?

Answer 8

all turtles are oviparous - lay eggs

hindlimbs excavate soil or sand to deposit eggs

Question 9

how does temperature affect gender?

Answer 9

temperature-sensitive sex determination
higher temperature favours the female sex