Turtles are reptiles whose soft body is covered by a hard shell.Most turtles can pull their legs,tail,and head into the shell for protection.Different turtles live on land,in water,or both on land and in water.Some turtles that live on land are called tortoises.A terrapin is a turtle that lives in or near freshwater or partly salty,coastal water.The name terrapin is only used for a group of North American turtles.
Harder - Turtles can be grouped into seven main types:(1) mud and musk turtles,(2) pond and marsh turtles,(3) sea turtles,(4) side-necked turtles,(5) snapping turtles,(6) soft-shelled turtles,and (7) tortoises.Like other reptiles,all turtles are cold-blooded; their body temperature about matches the temperature of their environment.They are found living in deserts,forest,grasslands,lakes,marshes,ponds,wetlands,coastal areas,and in the oceans.Turtles live in almost all geographic regions except those which are cold year-round.They cannot remain active in cold weather,so species in regions that have harsh winters must hibernate.Some desert species survive the hot,dry periods by going into a related state of limited activity called estivation.Sea turtles spend most of their life in the water.Other species live mainly on land or in fresh water or spend about an equal time on land and in water.
