Turtle | Testudines

Turtles are scaly, four-legged animals that belong to the reptile group. This breed of animals called (order) Testudinata (or Chelonians) is distinctive and easily recognized by its hard and stiff 'house' or bony shell.

This turtle shell consists of two parts. The upper part that covers the back is called the carapace (carapace) and the lower part (ventral, abdominal) is called the plastron. Then each part is composed of two layers. The outer layer generally consists of large, hard scales, and is arranged like tiles; while the inner layer is in the form of bone plates that are arranged tightly like a shell. The exception is the group of labi-labi (Trionychoidea) and the leatherback turtle, whose outer layer has no scales and is replaced by a layer of skin on the outside of the bony shell.

In Indonesian, we know three groups of animals that belong to this nation, namely turtles (English: sea turtles), labi-labi or bulus (freshwater turtles), and turtles (tortoises). In English, there is a further distinction between land turtles (land tortoises) and freshwater turtles (freshwater tortoises or terrapins).