What Do You Know About Turtles? Quiz

Answer: The shell

The shell is indeed primarily made of bone. The ribs eventually develop into broad flat plates. The shell is firmly attached to the turtle's body, however. The stories you hear a turtle's body being completely separate from the shell are merely fictional.

The outer layer of the shell, though, is made of keratin, the same material that makes up claws and hair.

Answer: Cloaca

Tiny blood vessels called capillaries flow very close to the thin skin of the cloaca, allowing for gas exchange into and out of the bloodstream. They contain large sacs with finger like projections which take in oxygen, although this can't be classed as breathing.

Turtles are air breathers, however, and must periodically surface to take in air.

Answer: Turtles are primarily water based while tortoises are mostly land based

The order Testudinata, which contains all turtles and tortoises, contains 66 genera and at least 221 species. In this order, the turtles are more likely to live a largely aquatic lifestyle. In general, more aquatic members of the order are likely to be carnivores rather than herbivores.

The order Testudinada led to the University of Maryland naming Testudo the Terrapin as its athletic mascot.

Answer: Red-eared slider turtle

Its habitat includes a large part of North America. It is also a popular pet turtle. The turtle is usually less than one foot (25 cm) across and has a typical lifespan of 20-30 years.

The red stripe is located about where you would expect to see its ears so that's how it gets its common name.

Answer: its ability to close its shell up tightly like a box

The box turtle can close up its lower shell so tightly that a blade of grass won't even fit through. In reality, most are too fat to close up completely. The shell of the box turtle is relatively dome shaped rather than being shaped like a box, though.

The name "box turtle" refers to several species, most of which live in excess of twenty years.

Answer: Their fleshy lips

Soft-shelled turtles are the only kind of turtle that have lips, like mammals. However, these lips still cover the sharp, toothless beak characteristic of turtles. The leatherback sea turtle has a pliable, leathery shell similar to that of the soft-shelled turtles.

Answer: The spot-legged wood turtle

The spot-legged wood turtle is also known as the painted turtle. Its habitat includes much of Mexico. There are two recognized sub species.

Answer: The way they withdraw their necks

Cryptodiran turtles bend their necks vertically when withdrawing into their shell, while Pleurodirans (which are fewer in number) have necks that bend horizontally. Cryptodiran turtles can be found in several areas including North America, Brazil, Africa, and Southeast Asia. These turtles first appeared early in the Jurassic period.

Answer: the coloration of its fat

The flesh of green sea turtles used to be eaten by sailors and sold in restaurants. The supposedly delicious fat that lies beneath their skin has a greenish tinge to it. Green sea turtles are now protected from this practice by international law.

The green sea turtle is one of the larger species with many examples growing in excess of 150 lbs. (68 kgs).

Answer: Alligator snapping turtle

The alligator snapping turtle can weigh in great excess of 200 pounds (or about 80 kilograms), making it one of the largest freshwater species.

The hawksbill turtle isn't a freshwater turtle, but an endangered sea turtle. It is found in North America and is primarily a carnivorous creature.