turtle

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =The Turtle= "Celonia" = = Contributed by: Taylor 10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle
 * 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].

SIZE
The largest chelonian is a marine turtle, the great [|leatherback sea turtle], which reaches a shell length of 200 [|cm] (80 [|inches]) and can reach a weight of over 900 [|kg] (2,000 [|lb], or 1 short ton). Freshwater turtles are generally smaller, but with the largest species, the Asian softshell turtle //Pelochelys cantorii//, a few individuals have been reported to measure up to 200 cm or 80 in (Das, 1991). This dwarfs even the better-known [|alligator snapping turtle], the largest chelonian in North America, which attains a shell length of up to 80 cm (31½ in) and a weight of about 76 kg (170 lb). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles

Diet
Sea turtles eat jellyfish, seaweed, crabs, shrimp, snails, algae and mollusks. They eat up to 1 to 2 pounds a day. http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/sea_turtle.html