TurtleTurtles (order Testudines) are reptiles characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked turtles), which differ in the way the head retracts. There are 360 living and recently extinct species of turtles, including land-dwelling tortoises and freshwater terrapins.
TetrapodA tetrapod (; from Ancient Greek τετρα (tetra) 'four' and πούς (poús) 'foot') is any vertebrate animal of the clade Tetrapoda (). The main diagnostic and defining trait (synapomorphy) of tetrapods is having four limbs, connected to the shoulder- and pelvic girdles, for which the group is named.
AmnioteAmniotes are tetrapod vertebrate animals belonging to the clade Amniota, a large group that comprises the vast majority of living terrestrial and semiaquatic vertebrates. Amniotes evolved from amphibious stem tetrapod ancestors during the Carboniferous period. Amniota is defined as the smallest crown clade (the group including all descendants of the last common ancestor) containing humans, the Greek tortoise, and the Nile crocodile.
AnimalBiological kingdomAnimals are multicellular, eukaryoticorganisms belonging to the biologicalkingdomAnimalia (). Animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have muscle cells, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, during embryonic development. With few exceptions, animals are able to move. Animals form a clade, meaning that they arose from a single common ancestor.
EctothermAn ectotherm (from Ancient Greek ἐκτός (ektós) 'outside' and θερμός (thermós) 'heat'), more commonly referred to as a "cold-blooded animal", is an animal in which internal physiological sources of heat, such as blood, are of relatively small or of quite negligible importance in controlling body temperature. Such organisms (frogs, for example) rely on environmental heat sources, which permit them to operate at very economical metabolic rates.
VertebrateSubphylum of chordatesVertebrates (), also called craniates, are animals with a vertebral column and a cranium. The vertebral column surrounds and protects the spinal cord, while the cranium protects the brain. The vertebrates make up the subphylumVertebrata ( ) with some 65,000 species, by far the largest ranked grouping in the phylumChordata. The vertebrates include mammals, birds, amphibians, and various classes of fishes and reptiles.
SquamataSquamata (, Latin squamatus, 'scaly, having scales') is the largest order of reptiles; most members are commonly known as lizards, with the group also including snakes. With over 11,991 species, it is also the second-largest order of extant (living) vertebrates, after the perciform fish. Squamates are distinguished by their skins, which bear horny scales or shields, and periodically undergo molting.
GharialCrocodilian native to the Indian subcontinentThe gharial (Gavialis gangeticus), also known as gavial or fish-eating crocodile, is a crocodilian in the familyGavialidae and among the longest of all living crocodilians. Mature females are 2.6–4.5 m (8.5–14.8 ft) long, and males 3–6 m (9.8–19.7 ft). Adult males have a distinct boss at the end of the snout, which resembles an earthenware pot known as a ghara, hence the name "gharial".
CrocodileFamily of large reptilian carnivoresA crocodile (familyCrocodylidae) or true crocodile is a large, semiaquaticreptile that lives throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia.
AlligatorAn alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genusAlligator of the familyAlligatoridae in the orderCrocodilia. The two extantspecies are the American alligator (A. mississippiensis) and the Chinese alligator (A. sinensis). Additionally, several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains. Alligators first appeared during the late Eocene epoch about 37 million years ago.
CrocodyliaCrocodylia or Crocodilia () is an order of semiaquatic, predatory reptiles that are known as crocodilians. They appeared 83.5 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period (Campanian stage) and are the closest living relatives of birds, as the two groups are the only known survivors of the Archosauria. Members of the crocodilian total group, the clade Pseudosuchia, appeared about 250 million years ago in the Early Triassic period, and diversified during the Mesozoic era.
Order (taxonomy)Order (Latin: ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. Like the other ranks, orders reflect shared ancestry; for example, all owls belong to the order Strigiformes. In biological classification systems, orders and their usage are defined by nomenclature codes. An immediately higher rank, superorder, is sometimes added directly above order, with suborder directly beneath order.
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