Turtles belong to the order of reptiles with a strong shell made of corneal scales, which consists of the back (carapax) and abdominal (plastron) part. They live in warm places on land, in fresh water and in the sea.
Pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) has a smooth dorsal brown or black shell with yellow spots, and it can retract its entire head inside theirshield-like shells.It is 15 to 20 cm long and weighs 400 to 700 grams.
Land turtle (Testudo hermanni) has a large olive-yellow shell with dark patterns on the upper side with black edge on each side. The shell protects the body and it can retract its head and limbs into it. It reaches a length of 12 to 20 cm.
Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is a sea turtle that has a shield made of a solid bone structure, which is reddish-brown on the upper side and light yellowish on the lower side. Adult animals have an oval shell and they can reach up to 110 cm in length and weigh up to 115 kg.
Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is one of the most famous species of sea turtles. The upper side of its shield is in different tones of brown with greenish or dark brown patches. The lower part of the shield and the plastron are light yellow. Adult animals grow to a length of one and a half meters and the average weight of an adult animal is about 200 kg.
(Željka Šaravanja)
