Green Turtle

• Green Turtle Important Character: Green turtle is a creeping animal. Habitat: It is a marine animal commonly found in Indian,Pacific and Atlantic oceans.It is herbivorous, feeds mostly on sea-weeds.It comes to seahorse or land to lay eggs.It is poikilothermic (coldblooded).

1.Body Covering:Body encloses in a bony shell.It consists of dorsal convex carapace on the dorsal surface and flat plastron on the ventral surface.They are joined by ligament. 2.The shell is open at the anterior and posterior ends .Head,tail and fore limbs project from anterior opening and hind limbs and tail protrude from posterior opening. 3.Head:It is triangular which bears a pair of nostrils pair of eyes, nostrils and external ear opening.Eyes are provided with eye lids and nictitating membrane. 4.Neck:It is short.When animal is threatened with danger,the head,neck,limbs and tail are withdrawn into the shell. 5 The hind limbs support the body,used for perching, walking and food capturing. each leg has four digits;3 directed forward and the first or hallux backward. hence it is called bipedal. 6.Skin:It is dry and devoid of glands except oil or preen glands at the root of tail. 7Endoskeleton :Bones are pneumatic or hollow and porous without bone marrow. it makes the body light. 8.Respiratory system: It takes place by spongy and inelastic lungs.It consists of many air sacs.It also reduces the weight of the body. 9.Heart:Heart is completely divided into four chambered (2 auricle and 2 ventricles). 10.Excretory system:It takes place by metaneohric kidneys.Urinary bladder absent.They are uricotelic. 11.Flight muscles are well developed.