All About Nature: Animals to Paint Online

Go to Animal Printouts

Archelon was a car-sized marine turtle (a chelonian) that lived when the dinosaurs did, during the late Cretaceous period. Primitive turtles evolved over 250 million years ago, during the early Permian period.

Turtles and tortoises are reptiles found worldwide. They have a hard shell protecting their body. The top shell is called the carapace; the bottom is called the plastron. The shell is covered with scutes, scales that are made of keratin (the same protein that our fingernails are made of).

Some turtles live on land, others spend most of their lives in the seas, retrning to the shore only ro reproduce. Turtles hatch from eggs; there is no parental care.